Abstract
The susceptibility of lignosulfonates to the action of lignin-degrading wood-rotting fungi was studied by submitting commercial lignosulfonate (Peritan Na) and fractions of calcium lignosulfonate of different molecular weights to the action of selected white rot fungi.
As shown by gel filtration chromatography and determinations according to the nitroso method, lignosulfonates, even in conditions which did not support fungal growth, underwent strong polymerization when brought in contact with typical, extracellular polyphenol oxidase-producing white-rot fungi. Owing to the polymerization, nitroso determinations showed a seeming decrease of lignosulfonate. Polyporus dichrous, an “atypical” white-rot fungus which does not produce extracellular polyphenol oxidase and hence does not cause polymerization of lignosulfonates, was found to degrade 11% of the lignosulfonate available in a solid malt extract medium during 19 days.
Addition of lignosulfonate to a rich synthetic liquid growth medium increased the mycelial yield of several white-rot fungi.
Trametes versicolor was able to grow on a calcium lignosulfonate fraction with molecular weight 1350 which served as sole source of carbon and energy, but not on fractions of higher molecular weight.
The utilization/polymerization of lignosulfonates was shown to depend on concentration and on the presence of additional utilizable sources of carbon.
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Selin, JF., Sundman, V. & Räihä, M. Utilization and polymerization of lignosulfonates by wood-rotting fungi. Arch. Microbiol. 103, 63–70 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00436331
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00436331