Assessment of Polysaccharide and Biomass Production from Three White-Rot Fungi by Solid-State Fermentation Using Wood and Agro-Industrial Residues: A Kinetic Approach

Abstract

Research Highlights: For the first time, a model was developed and applied for polysaccharide production from Trametes versicolor grown in agro-industrial and woody residues under solid-state fermentation (SSF) conditions. Background and Objectives: Fungal biomass is an important biological resource for biotechnological applications. Basidiomycetes fungi can be grown and developed on lignocellulosic materials such as forestry, wood, and agro-industrial residues in order to produce value-added products like bioactive polysaccharides. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effects of the C/N ratio and copper concentration on biomass and polysaccharide production during solid state fermentation (SSF), as well as on the consumption of cellulose and hemicellulose, and lignin degradation, and to propose and validate a mathematical model to describe the overall SSF process. Materials and Methods: This research was carried out by growing three Basidiomycetes species (T. versicolor, Lentinula edodes, and Pleurotus ostreatus) on twelve formulations of solid substrates using mixtures of different inexpensive lignocellulosic residues such as oak sawdust, coconut fiber (hairs), coffee husks, and corn bran plus soybean oil, calcium carbonate, and two levels of copper(II) sulfate. Results: The three fungal species grew well on all substrate formulations. The statistical analysis of experimental data showed no significant effects on polysaccharide production, in the range of C/N and copper concentrations evaluated. Taking into account that the best polysaccharide production was obtained with T. versicolor (96.09 mg/g solid substrate), a mathematical model was proposed for this fungus to describe the behavior of the fermentation system from the obtained data of all the resulting combinations to reach the highest polysaccharide production by the fungus. Conclusions: The mathematical model disclosed in this work enabled to describe the growth and development of a higher basidiomycete under solid-state fermentation conditions on lignocellulosic substrates as well as the production of value-added products like polysaccharides with medicinal properties.

Influence of nutrient sources and environmental conditions on vegetative growth of fungus, Erythricium salmonicolor (Berk. & Broome) Burdsall in cocoa

“…This is an advantage to the pathogen in competition with other fungi for nutrients. The result agrees with the earlier reports (20)(21)(22) that fungus in the Phylum: Basidiomycota utilises different carbohydrate sources as energy. The best growth rate was obtained with isolate ES-WR008 attaining 7.1 mm day -1 on starch, 7.0 mm day -1 on lactose and 6.9 mm day -1 on glucose in 4 days in the dark at 25°C.…”

Comparison of Polysaccharides Extracted from Cultivated Mycelium of Inonotus obliquus with Polysaccharide Fractions Obtained from Sterile Conk (Chaga) and Birch Heart Rot

“…Compared to our results, the water extraction of corn biomass colonized by G. frondosa mycelium in a bioreactor experiment resulted in lower yield [ 23 ]. Conversely, the sugar contents in the heart rot in our study were similar to the amounts obtained after the cultivation of G. lucidum mycelium in beech sawdust [ 24 ], whereas the levels were lower than those obtained with water extraction from the oak sawdust-based substrate infected with different white-rot fungi [ 25 ]. Moreover, a sugar content similar to the level in our study was obtained after the subcritical water extraction of birch sawdust [ 22 ].…”

Mechanical, Physical, and Chemical Properties of Mycelium-Based Composites Produced from Various Lignocellulosic Residues and Fungal Species

“…Electrical conductivity (EC) and pH value were measured with the use of conductivity and pH meters, respectively. Moreover, total organic matter and nitrogen content were determined according to the procedure described by Walkley and Black [40] and the method employed by Kjeldahl [41], respectively, at the Agricultural Technology Services Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Chiang Mai University, Ching Mia, Thailand. Five replications were performed for all samples of each treatment.…”