Production of Enzymes and Biotransformation of Orange Waste by Oyster Mushroom, Pleurotus pulmonarius (Fr.) Quél.

The wood-decay fungi are able to bioconvert a wide variety of lignocellulosic residues due to the secretion of extracellular enzymes. The use of agricultural wastes as substrate for mushroom cul-tivation or enzymes production can help to solve environmental problems caused by inadequate discharge in the nature. The production of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes by Pleurotus pulmo-narius developed in solid state system using orange waste as substrate was evaluated in this work. Among the hydrolytic enzymes, pectinase was the main enzyme produced by the fungus, present-ing the highest enzymatic activity of 9.4 U/mL after 35 days of cultivation. Considering the oxida-tive enzymes, laccase was the main enzyme produced with maximal activity of 12.2 U/mL obtained after 20 days of cultivation. Low enzyme levels of manganese peroxidase, β-glucosidase and β-xy-losidase were detected with activity peaks at the end of the cultivation. The enzymatic levels of amylase, carboxymethyl cellulase and xylanase were similar and less than 1.5 U/mL. No aryl-alcohol oxidase activity was detected. NDF, ADF and cellulose values increased during 45 days of cultiva