CEST2025

This study investigated the growth of the medicinal mushroom Ganoderma adspersum in liquid cultures of 37 days, using commercial glucose with olive mill wastewater (OMW) or lignin as the main carbon sources to produce biomass and lignolytic enzymes involved in the degradation of complex carbohydrates and polymers. The production of mycelial mass and substrate consumption (total sugars) were measured, as well as the degree of dephenolization and decolorization of both lignin and OMW substrates. The activity of ligninolytic enzymes laccase, Mn-dependent and Mn-independent peroxidase was also determined. The results showed that G. adspersum produced high levels of biomass, 23.52 and 26.92 g/L, for lignin and OMW substrates, respectively, whereas it consumed 97.43% of the sugars in the OMW and 97.73% in the lignin substrate. A significant reduction in the phenolic content of both substrates was observed by the end of fermentation, with the OMW showing a phenol removal percentage of 72.07% and lignin of 52.07%. Regarding decolorization, OMW had a small color removal of 34.62%, while lignin showed a decolorization of 78.59%. Enzyme activity varied over time depending on which substrate was used. For OMW, the maximum laccase activity was recorded on day 32, 38.57 U/mL, while MnP and MnIP produced 0.16 and 0.11 U/mL, respectively. Laccase production in lignin substrate was also maximized on day 32 with 8.70 U/mL, whereas MnP and MnIP reached their highest values earlier, on day 16, with 1.29 U/mL and 1.48 U/mL, respectively. This study supports the efficient bioprocess for the valorization of agricultural waste by G. adspersum to produce economic value products while simultaneously reducing the pollutant load of the substrates used.