Delignification of sugarcane bagasse by Panus tigrinus

Biological pretreatments with three selected strains of Panus tigrinus were used for the delignification of sugarcane bagasse, aimed to the obtention of pulps. Oxidative enzymes manganese peroxidase (MnP), lignin peroxidase (LiP), laccase and the hydrolytic enzyme xylanase were measured by standard methods and related to the fungi potential for delignification. Determination of chemical composition of the decayed bagasse samples was evaluated in order to provide the selectivity in weight loss of the different components. All strains show abundant growth on the bagasse as sole carbon source and exhibited xylanase, high MnP and laccase activities. LiP was not found. After determination of chemical composition of the degraded bagasse, P. tigrinus FTPT-4745 was selected as the most efficient strain, since carbohydrates were preserved. P. tigrinus FTPT-4741 showed the lowest lignin content and was differentiated from the other strains by FTIR-PCA.