Improvement of Laccase Activity in Co-Culture of Panus lecomtei and Sporidiobolus pararoseus and Its Application as an Enzymatic Additive in Biomass Hydrolysis and Dye Decolorization

This work investigates the effects of the co-culture between the filamentous fungus Panus lecomtei and the yeast Sporidiobolus pararoseus in the production of laccases. The variations of time interval and inoculum volume of S. pararoseus in co-cultures with P. lecomtei stimulated laccase production, reaching its highest activity at nearly 2960.7 +/- 244 U/mL with a maximum time point of 120 h and 2.0% (v/v), respectively. Further application in the pretreated sugarcane bagasse hydrolysis was performed, using P. lecomtei and S. pararoseus extract added to an enzyme mixture from the co-culture of P. lecomtei and Trichoderma reesei that positively favored the hydrolysis efficiency by 66.87%. Furthermore, the addition of P. lecomtei and S. pararoseus extract increased the degradation of industrial anthraquinone Remazol Brilliant Blue R by 78.98%. As a result, the extract derived from the co-culture of P. lecomtei and S. pararoseus rich in laccases presents potential in biotechnological applications, being suitable in the hydrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass and the degradation of unwanted dyes released in the environment.