Neopestalotiopsis species presenting wide dye destaining activity: report of a mycelium-associated laccase.

Wastewaters from textile dyeing industries represent an ecological concern, notably due to the known toxicity of azo dyes to the local microbiome and human health. Although physicochemical approaches are the rule for the treatment of industrial effluents, biological strategies such as enzyme-mediated dye destaining is a promising alternative. Notwithstanding a broad range of microorganisms, including fungi, algae, yeast, and bacteria, display dye-destaining properties, most of the literature has focused in ligninolytic fungi, leaving other classes of organisms somehow ignored. In this study, six endophytic strains isolated from Maytenus ilicifolia were studied for their destaining activity. The phylogenetic and morphological analysis allowed the identification of strain LGMF1504 as Neopestalotiopsis sp. LGMF1504 that decolorized several commercial dyes as the result of a mycelium-associated laccase. The enzyme expression was modulated by carbon and nitrogen content in the culture medium, it was weakly affected by the presence of aromatic compounds and metal ions while some common laccase mediators improved the destaining activity onto dye substrates. The best culture condition observed for laccase activity was a basic culture medium containing 5 g L-1 starch and 15 g L-1 ammonium tartrate. The laccase activity showed low substrate specificity and almost unaltered performance in a wide range of pH values and NaCl concentrations, suggesting the potential of Neopestalotiopsis sp. LGMF1504 for biodegradation approaches.

Decolorization and biodegradation of reactive blue 220 textile dye by Lentinus crinitus extracellular extract.

Studies were carried on the decolorization of the textile dye reactive blue 220 (RB220) by a novel isolate of Lentinus crinitus fungi. The optimal conditions for the production of destaining activity were obtained in media containing intermediate concentrations of ammonium oxalate and glucose (10 g L(-1)) as nitrogen and carbon sources, respectively, at 28 degrees C and pH 5.5. Maximum decolorization efficiency against RB220 achieved in this study was around 95%. Ultra-violet and visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometric analyses, before and after decolorization, suggest that decolorization was due to biodegradation. This effect was associated with a putative low molecular weight laccase (41 kDa) displaying good tolerance to a wide range of pH values, salt concentrations and temperatures, suggesting a potential role for this organism in the remediation of real dye containing effluents.