Pomegranate peel, an agricultural waste, enhance Laccase in Morchella culture.
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Phenolic compounds in peel extract reduced and its antifungal activity was reduced.
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Bidirectional effect of Morchella conica culture-pomegranate peel extract.
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Fungal recycling of Pomegranate Peel Extract is demonstrated.
Abstract
Rich in phenolic compounds, pomegranate peel is resistant to biological degradation by fungi and bacteria. We studied the bidirectional valorization potential of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) cultured with Morchella conica mycelium for both laccase production and reduction of PPE antifungal toxicity. Wonderful PPE (WPPE) inhibited Morchella biomass accumulation after 3 days' growth on solid agar, but on day 7, inhibition was overcome and biomass accumulated at control levels. Laccase released into Morchella–WPPE culture liquid showed increased activity with increasing WPPE concentration. PPEs from two other pomegranate varieties similarly induced laccase, up to 3-fold on day 5 of incubation. LC–MS revealed a sharp reduction in 15 WPPE phenolic compounds on day 8 of culture with Morchella. Moreover, a spore-inoculation bioassay showed no inhibition of Botrytis cinerea growth by WPPE after 8-day culture with Morchella. Thus, PPE may induce laccase production, which in turn may decrease its environmental toxicity.
