Volume 62, Issue 340, January - April 2026

The decolourising potential of some laccase-producing Curvularia and Paradictyoarthrinium species

Samuel Adedayo Fasiku^1♦, Godwin Adeoluwa Akinrinsade¹, Seun Angel Aregbesola¹, Benedicta Oyindamola Olajide¹, Femi Johnson Afolabi¹, Gboyega Ebenezer Adebami²

¹Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo-Town, Nigeria
²Department of Biological Sciences, Mountain Top University, Ibafo, Nigeria

^♦Corresponding Author
Samuel Adedayo Fasiku, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo-Town, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Laccases are enzymes that break down lignin and are also useful in dye decolourisation. This study investigated laccase production by some laccaseproducing fungi and evaluated their ability to decolourise dyes. Some fungi with laccase-producing potential were collected and identified using molecular techniques. They were cultivated on various substrates at pH 5 and 6. Laccase production was determined using 2, 2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) [ABTS] and guaiacol as indicators. The fungi were grown in fermentation media containing 1 g/L of dyes, and their decolourising capacity was determined. The fungi were identified as Paradictyoarthrinium diffractum AP3, Paradictyoarthrinium diffractum AP2, Curvularia lunata DP1, Curvularia lunata FESAMB, Curvularia petersonii K2, and Curvularia verruculosa K6. There was higher laccase activity in substrates containing lignin than in those without. The highest laccase production (39.62 U/mL) was recorded by Curvularia lunata DPI in maize straw-containing medium at pH 6 with ABTS as an indicator. In comparison, Curvularia petersonii K2 was the best producer of laccase (17.67 U/mL) when guaiacol was used. Paradictyoarthrinium diffractum AP2 decolourised methyl red, Congo red and safranine, whereas Curvularia lunata FESAMB achieved the highest decolourisation rate (63%) of Leishmann blue. Curvularia and Paradictyoarthrinium species used in this work produced laccase enzymes, and successfully decolourised dyes.

Keywords: laccase, 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), guaiacol, decolourisation, lignin, fungi

Discovery, 2026, 62, e4d3229

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Published: 07 March 2026