LIGNOCELLULOLYTIC ACTIVITY OF Ganoderma spp. STRAINS ISOLATED FROM THE CENTRAL REGION OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO

Background. Fungi of the genus Ganoderma cause white rot of wood in forest trees and trees of economic importance due to the variety of lignocellulolytic enzymes they produce, which may be widely applied for environmental, food production, and biotechnological purposes, among others. Methodology. Fourteen strains of the genus Ganoderma isolated from the central region of Veracruz were studied. Qualitative assays were conducted in Petri dishes to determine the production of cellulase, laccase, and peroxidase enzymes in media with CMC, ABTS, and Azure B, respectively. Activity indexes were calculated according to the formation of discoloration and oxidation halos. Five strains with significant activity were selected, which were used for the quantitative determination of cellulase, laccase, lignin peroxidase, and manganese peroxidase activities using crude extracts obtained from liquid cultures in flasks with minimal medium by spectrophotometric assays with CMC, ABTS, Azure B, and manganese sulfate as reaction substrates. Results. The qualitative assays showed cellulase and laccase activity but not peroxidase activity in the studied strains. The quantitative assays showed cellulase, laccase, and lignin peroxidase activity but not manganese peroxidase activity, where laccase activity was the most relevant. The strains G. weberianum GV26 and Ganoderma sp. GV11 showed the highest laccase production on the 16th day of culture at 27±1 °C, with 102.8 and 106.2 U/L, respectively. Implications. The strains with significant enzymatic activities are candidates for further studies of optimization, purification, and bioremediation of recalcitrant xenobiotic compounds. Conclusion. The strains Ganoderma GV11 and GV26 are a potential source of lignocellulolytic enzymes that could be applied in biotechnological processes.