A total of 610 strains from 16 species of micromycetes
with potential ligninolytic capabilities were
isolated from soil, compost, and rotten wood, including 400
strains of soil origin. In the test of decolorization of agarized
0.06 % alizarin blue, 52 strains with high decolorization
activity were selected. In liquid cultures with 0.2 %
post-industrial lignin and 0.03 % alizarin blue, all of the
selected strains showed three different extracellular peroxidase
activities such as HRP-like, LiP, and MnP. Laccase
was detected only in the cultures with alizarin blue, but
those were trace amounts. In the decolorization of alizarin
blue, the highest levels of activity were attained by HRPlike
peroxidase. In the transformations of post-industrial
lignin that included decolorization, colorization (darkening
of substrate), and re-colorization, the highest levels of
activity were attained by lignin peroxidase, especially at
the start of the culture. The transformations of both dye
substrates in the cultures of all 52 strains were accompanied
by the release of glucose oxidase, but high activities of
that enzyme were observed only in the presence of alizarin
blue. Whereas in the presence of lignin the fungi under
study synthesized catalase, the activity of which attained a
maximum toward the end of the culture was negatively
correlated with the activity of the remaining oxidoreductases
under study. Among the 52 selected strains, three
strains such as
Haematonectria haematacocca BwIII43,
K37, and
Trichoderma harzianum
BsIII33 were characterized
by a high activity of decolorization.
