Abstract
Lignocellulolytic white-rot fungi allow the bioconversion of agricultural wastes into value-added products that are used in a myriad of applications. The aim of this work was to use corn residues (Zea mays L.) to produce valuable products under solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Pleurotus ostreatus. White-rot fungus P. ostreatus was isolated from maize silage (MS) and thereafter it was inoculated on MS as substrate and compared with maize stover (MSt) and maize cobs (MC) to determine the best lignocellulosic substrate for the production of lignocellulolytic enzymes and extracellular protein. The MS gave the highest productivity of CMCase (368.2 U/mL), FPase (170.5 U/mL), laccase (11.4 U/mL), and MnPase (6.6 U/mL). This is compared to productivity on MSt of 222 U/mL, 50.2 U/mL, 4.55 U/mL, and 2.57 U/mL, respectively; and productivity on MC at the same incubation period as 150.5 U/mL, 48.2 U/mL, 3.58 U/mL, and 2.5 U/mL, respectively. The levels of enzyme production declined with increasing incubation period after 15 and 20 days using MS and MC, respectively, as substrates. Maximum liberated extracellular protein content (754 to 878 pg/mL) was recorded using MS, while a low amount (343 to 408 pg/mL) was liberated with using MSt and MC.