Bauhinia forficata is native to South America and used with relative success in the folk medicine in Brazil. The diversity, antibacterial activity, and extracellular hydrolytic enzymes of endophytic fungi associated with this plant were studied. Plant samples, which included leaves, sepals, stems, and seeds, were used. Ninety-five endophytic fungal were isolated (18 from leaves, 22 from sepals, 46 from stems, and nine from seeds), comprising 28 species. The most frequently isolated species were Acremonium curvulum (9.5%), Aspergillus ochraceus (7.37%), Gibberella fujikuroi (10.53%), Myrothecium verrucaria (10.53%) and Trichoderma piluliferum (7.37%). Diversity and species richness were higher in stem tissues, and Sorensen’s index of similarity between the tissues was low. Eleven fungi showed antibacterial activity. Aspergillus ochraceus, Gibberella baccata, Penicillium commune, and P. glabrum were those with the greatest antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and/or Streptococcus pyogenes. Thirteen species showed proteolytic activity, particularly Phoma putaminum. Fourteen species were cellulase positive, particularly the Penicillium species and Myrmecridium schulzeri. All isolates tested were xylanase positive and 10 showed lipolytic activity, especially Penicillium glabrum. It is clear that the endophytic fungi from B. forficata have potential for the production of bioactive compounds and may be a source of new therapeutic agents for the effective treatment of diseases in humans, other animals, and plants. To our knowledge, this is the first study of endophytic fungi from different tissues of B. forficata and their biotechnological potential.

Polygalacturonases (PG) are pectinolytic enzymes that have technological, functional and biological applications in food processing, fruit ripening and plant-fungus interactions, respectively. In the present, a microtitre plate methodology was used for rapid screening of 61 isolates of fungi from Aspergillus section Nigri to assess production of endo- and exo-PG. Studies of scale-up were carried out in a fixed bed reactor operated under different parameters using the best producer strain immobilised in orange peels. Four experiments were conducted under the following conditions: the immobilised cells without aeration; immobilised cells with aeration; immobilised cells with aeration and added pectin; and free cells with aeration. The fermentation was performed for 168 h with removal of sample every 24 h. Aspergillus niger strain URM 5162 showed the highest PG production. The results obtained indicated that the maximum endo- and exo-PG activities (1.18 U·mL⁻¹ and 4.11 U·mL⁻¹, respectively) were obtained when the reactor was operating without aeration. The microtitre plate method is a simple way to screen fungal isolates for PG activity detection. The fixed bed reactor with orange peel support and using A. niger URM 5162 is a promising process for PG production at the industrial level.

The current study evaluated lipase production by Aspergillus candidus URM 5611 through solid state fermentation (SSF) by using almond bran licuri as a new substrate. The microorganism produced high levels of the enzyme (395.105 U gds-1), thus surpassing those previously reported in the literature. The variable moisture content, the inductor concentration, temperature and pH were analyzed. The best production conditions were initial moisture content of 75%, 0% of inductor, at 25°C, pH 5.5, in 10.0 g of substrate. The variables initial moisture and inductor contents showed significant effects on lipase production by increasing enzyme activity in about 200% when compared with the initial screening (197.44 U gds-1). Optimum lipase activity was obtained at pH 2.5 at an optimum temperature of 65°C. The lipase was stable from pH 2.5 to 9.0 and at temperatures between 30 to 65°C. Results from the study are promising for the economic use and value addition from these important agro residues, which are abundantly available in Brazil. This is the first report on lipase production by A. candidus URM 5611 reaching a much higher yield of enzyme under SSF with almond bran licuri used as substrate. Key words: Aspergillus candidus URM 5611, solid state fermentation (SSF), licuri waste, lipase characterization.

A presença de metais pesados no solo proporciona impacto sobre os microrganismos, vegetação e os processos funcionais do ecossistema. Visando comprovar que Mucorales são afetados pela extração de cobre na Mineradora Caraíba, Jaguarari, BA, espécies de Mucorales foram isoladas de amostras de solo coletadas nas épocas seca e chuvosa. Os Mucorales foram identificados e caracterizados quanto à capacidade de degradar amido e inulina. Utilizando os métodos de diluição e placa de solo, foram obtidos 46 isolados de Mucorales pertencentes a sete diferentes espécies. Absidia blakesleeana Lendner, A. cylindrospora Hagem, A. hialospora (Saito) Lendn., Cunninghamella elegans Lendner, Rhizopus microsporus V. Thieghen, R. oryzae Went. & Prinsen Geerl. e Syncephalastrum racemosum (Cohn.) Schroet. foram isolados na época seca. A. blakesleeana e A. hialospora foram isoladas apenas na época chuvosa. Rhizopus oryzae apresentou maior número de isolados (30,43%), seguido por A. blakesleeana (26,09%) e C. elegans (21,74%). O gênero que apresentou maior número de espécies foi Absidia seguido por Rhizopus. Entre as áreas, houve diferenças significativas no número de isolados de Mucorales, comprovando os efeitos negativos do impacto ambiental na abundância de Mucorales nos solos impactados. Todas as espécies degradaram o amido e apenas C. elegans degradou também inulina. Culturas de mesma espécie isoladas de áreas diferentes apresentaram o mesmo comportamento quanto à degradação de amido e inulina.