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ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS FROM SOIL ABLE TO LIVE ON LIGNIN AS A CARBON SOURCE AND TO PRODUCE ENZYMES WHICH CLEAVE THE beta-O-4 BOND IN A LIGNIN MODEL COMPOUND

TitleISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS FROM SOIL ABLE TO LIVE ON LIGNIN AS A CARBON SOURCE AND TO PRODUCE ENZYMES WHICH CLEAVE THE beta-O-4 BOND IN A LIGNIN MODEL COMPOUND
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2012
AuthorsBi, R, Spadiut, O, Lawoko, M, Brumer, H, Henriksson, G
JournalCELLULOSE CHEMISTRY AND TECHNOLOGY
Volume46
Pagination227-242
Date PublishedAPR-MAY
Type of ArticleArticle
ISSN0576-9787
Abstract

Several strains of fungi were isolated and identified from Scandinavian soil using agar plates with lignin as a carbon source. The strains grew significantly faster on this medium than on control plates without lignin. Different types of technical lignins were used, some of which contained trace amounts of sugars, even if the increased growth rate seemed not related to the sugar content. Some strains were cultivated in shaking flask cultures with lignin as a carbon source, with lignin apparently consumed by microbes - while accumulation of the microorganism biomass occurred. The cell-free filtrates of these cultures could reduce the apparent molecular weights of lignosulphonates, while the culture filtrate of one strain could cleave the beta-O-4 bond in a lignin model compound.