Isolation and identification of microorganisms from soil  able to ive on lignin as carbon source and produce enzymes that cleave beta-O-4mbond in lignin

Twenty one strains of micro organism from Scandinavian soil had been isolated that could utilize lignin as only carbon source and 11 strains of them were identified. Different types of technical lignins were used.5 faster growing strains were cultivated in shaking flask cultures with ligninosulfonate as sole carbon source,and lignin appeared to be consumed after several days while mycelia was observed accumulated.Cell free filtrates of the 5 faster growing strains could lower the apparent molecular weights of lignosulphonates and the culture filtrate of one strain could cleave the lignin model compound with.The significances of the results are discussed.