Effect of heat treatment on extracellular enzymatic activities involved in beech wood degradation by Trametes versicolor

Effect of heat treatment on extracellular enzymes involved in wood degradation by Trametes versicolor was investigated. Heat-treated and untreated beech blocks were exposed to T. versicolor on malt-agar medium and extracellular enzymatic activities investigated. A strong ABTS oxidizing activity has been detected during the first stage of colonization in both cases, while cellulase activities are mainly detected in the case of untreated beech wood. Further investigations carried out on holocellulose, isolated using sodium chlorite delignification procedure and subjected to heat treatment or not, indicate that commercially available cellulases and xylanases are able to hydrolyse untreated holocellulose, while heat-treated holocellulose was not affected. All these data suggest that chemical modifications of wood components during heat treatment disturb enzymatic system involved in wood degradation.