Abstract
The pretreatment of biomass remains a critical requirement for bio-renewable fuel production from lignocellulose. Although current processes primarily involve chemical and physical approaches, the biological breakdown of lignin using enzymes and microorganisms is quickly becoming an interesting eco-friendly alternative to classical processes. As a result, bioprospection of wild fungi from naturally occurring lignin-rich sources remains a suitable method to uncover and isolate new species exhibiting ligninolytic activity. In this study, wild species of white rot fungi were collected from Colombian forests based on their natural wood decay ability and high capacity to secrete oxidoreductases with high affinity for phenolic polymers such as lignin. Based on high activity obtained from solid-state fermentation using a lignocellulose source from oil palm as matrix, we describe the isolation and whole-genome sequencing of Dictyopanus pusillus, a wild basidiomycete fungus exhibiting ABTS oxidation as an indication of laccase activity. Functional characterization of a crude enzymatic extract identified laccase activity as the main enzymatic contributor to fungal extracts, an observation supported by the identification of 13 putative genes encoding for homologous laccases in the genome. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first report of an enzymatic extract exhibiting laccase activity in the Dictyopanus genera, offering means to exploit this species and its enzymes for the delignification process of lignocellulosic by-products from oil palm.
Highlights
The accumulation of agro-industry lignocellulosic postharvest by-products is a direct consequence of the global demand for crops employed in the food supply chain and bio-renewable fuel production
Competition between these two fungi heavily relies on nutrient accessibility, growth factors favoring ascomycetes due to their faster growing pace in complete culture media, or even the presence of simple nutrient sources observed in advanced stages of wood decay [48]
The present work demonstrates that a crude fungal enzymatic extract from a wild Colombian source of D. pusillus LMB4 exhibits significant laccase activity (267 ± 18 U.L-1)
Summary
The accumulation of agro-industry lignocellulosic postharvest by-products is a direct consequence of the global demand for crops employed in the food supply chain and bio-renewable fuel production. Following this trend, global palm oil production has increased 41% over the past 10 years to reach 71.45 million tons in 2018, primarily due to high biodiesel demand [1]. The product-to-waste ratio for palm oil production remains significantly high (1:3), generating important lignocellulosic biomass accumulation [2]. This represents a pressing environmental issue for the largest producing countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Lignocellulosic ethanol production is an eco-friendly alternative to current agroindustry by-products, in addition to offering an important source of renewable energy [3]
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