A novel strain of Bjerkandera sp. (B33/3), with particularly high decolourisation activities upon Poly R-478 and Remazol Brilliant Blue R (RBBR) dyes, was isolated. The role of the ligninolytic extracellular enzymes produced by this strain on decolourisation of RBBR was studied in some depth. The basis of decolourisation is an enzyme-mediated process, in which the main enzyme responsible is a recently described peroxidase with capacity for oxidation of manganese, as well as veratryl alcohol and 2,6-dimethoxyphenol in a manganese-independent reaction.

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The feasibility of using apparent viscosity (eta a) as a method for detecting the occurrence of previous irradiation of pepper was studied. Apparent viscosity of heat-treated suspensions of white and black pepper, nonirradiated or irradiated with different doses of ionising radiation (gamma), was measured under different "shear rates". Results of previous research were therefore expanded and their usefulness examined; low shear rate conditions were found to be preferable for the detection and semi-quantitative evaluation of irradiation doses. The experimental methodology for semi-quantitative estimation was developed and its scope and limitations are presented.