A newly isolated Cerrena unicolor capable of laccase production and lignin degradation in agricultural wastes

Abstract Lignin is main residue of agro-industrial biomass which can be decomposed through enzymatic hydrolysis by fungi. In this study, a strain was isolated from birch forest and identified as Cerrena unicolor GC.u01 by 18S rDNA gene-sequencing technology. The activity of laccase (Lac) reached maximum 1605.28 ± 32.21 U·L-1 at 8th day via submerged fermentation, while the highest Lac activity by solid-state fermentation 1280.04 ± 48.11 U·g-1 with rice stalks and 566.83 ± 47.02 U·g-1 with wheat stalks were both obtained at 10th day, and 2677.50 ± 49.38 U·g-1 with corn stalks at 12th day. Then the lignin degradation ratios were up to 24.3%, 34.3% and 26.2% in wheat stalks, rice stalks and corn stalks, respectively, suggesting that the newly isolated Cerrena unicolor GC.u01 is potential for laccase production and lignin degradation by solid-state fermentation.