The influence of extracellular H2O2 production on decolorization ability in fungi

A set of 50 randomly chosen fungal strains belonging to different basidiomycete species was tested for H2O2 and ligninolytic enzyme production and for decolorization of synthetic dyes Orange G and Remazol Brilliant Blue R. The decolorization capacity of individual strains was influenced by the level of H2O2 and laccase activity. The strains producing H2O2 at a concentration of 1.0-1.5 microM exhibited the most efficient decolorization; higher or lower H2O2 concentration reduced this ability. None of the strains without a detectable laccase activity was able to decolorize the tested dyes.