Chiang Mai Journal of Science

Mycelia of the common split gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune Fr.) were cultured in the medium containing 1% soybean meal, 1% peptone, 0.5% malt extract, 0.3% yeast extract, 0.05% KH₂PO₄ and 0.05% MgSO₄.7H₂O, pH 5.9 at ambient temperature on rotary shaker of 150 rpm. Extracellular glycosidases were assayed in the medium of ninth day cultivation by hydrolysis of specific p-nitrophenyl glycosides. b -glucosidase was 35.98 units/litre. b -N-acetylhexosaminidases, a - and b -galactosidase were about 0.30 fold of the b -glucosidase activity. a -glucosidase, a - and b -mannosidase, b -xylosidase, a -L-arabinosidase, a -L- and b -fucosidase showed no activity. Optimal cultivation conditions for the mushroom glycosidase production were determined i.e. cultivation time (3-21 days) and pH of the medium (4.0-10.0), carbon source (glucose, fructose, sucrose, CM-cellulose, wheat bran, sticky rice meal and soybean meal) and nitrogen source (peptone, KNO₃, NH₄NO₃, (NH₄)₂SO₄, NH₄Cl and urea). The results indicated that the maximal b -glucosidase activity could be obtained from medium containing 1% CM-cellulose, 1% peptone, 0.3% yeast extract, 0.05% KH₂PO₄ and 0.05% MgSO₄.7H₂O at pH 8.5 for 9 days with the activity of 1,090 units/litre and specific activity of 0.73 unit/mg protein.