Detection of lignocellulolytic enzymatic activities of Chaetomium spp.

Abstract

Soft rot in wood in contact with soil is usually produced by different species of Chaetomium. For this reason, the lignocellulolytic capacities of Chaetomium globosum and Chaetomium erraticum, microflora habitually found in farmland, have been studied considering the following tests: formation of biomass, assimilation of carbohydrates, production of extracellular enzymes, and determination of lignocellulolytic activities (cellulase, xylanase, laccase and manganese peroxidase). The substrates used were: glucose, galactose, mannose, xylan and cellulose. The effect of veratryl alcohol as a possible inductor of lignocellulolytic activity was analysed as well. The combined results prove that both species exert show enzymatic capacity which allows the degradation of the principal components of wood, above all, cellulose and hemicellulose. This capacity is seen to be significantly higher in Chaetomium globosum.