Environmental Biotechnology

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology ISSN: 0717-3458 Vol. 7 No. 1, Issue of April 15, 2004
© 2004 by Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso -- Chile Received March 11, 2003 / Accepted March 8, 2004
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Biodegradation of natural phenolic compounds as single and mixed substrates by Fusarium flocciferum

Elsa Mendonça
Instituto Nacional de Engenharia e Tecnologia Industrial
Estrada do Paço do Lumiar
1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Tel: 351 21 7165141
Fax: 351 21 7166966
E-mail: elsa.mendonca@ineti.pt

Aida Martins
Instituto Nacional de Engenharia e Tecnologia Industrial
Estrada do Paço do Lumiar
1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
E-mail: aida.martins@ineti.pt

Ana Maria Anselmo*
Instituto Nacional de Engenharia e Tecnologia Industrial
Estrada do Paço do Lumiar
1649-038 Lisboa, Portugal
Tel: 351 21 7165141
Fax: 351 21 7166966
E-mail: ana.anselmo@ineti.pt


http://www.ineti.pt

*Corresponding author

Keywords: agro-industrial wastes, aromatic compounds, detoxification, fungi.

Abstract
Full Text

The mycelium of Fusarium flocciferum was assayed for its ability to degrade aromatic compounds, namely, gallic, protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic, caffeic, and ferulic acids and syringic aldehyde, commonly found in agro-industrial wastes. The biodegradation assays were performed in liquid medium with the phenolic compounds as single substrates and as a synthetic mixture containing the seven aromatic compounds. The results with single substrates indicated that in 24 hrs of incubation the fungus was able to reduce the phenolic concentration from 200 mg/l to below detection limits, except for syringic acid, being the lowest degradation rates found for this acid and its aldehyde. The biodegradation experiments with the mixture of phenolic compounds showed that after 8 hrs the total phenolic concentration was reduce from 350 mg/l to below the detection limits of all the tested compounds. In all the experiments a rise in the pH and an effective detoxification of the phenolic solutions were also observed.

 
Supported by UNESCO / MIRCEN network