A defined growth medium for the production of chloroperoxidase by Caldariomyces fumago

Ten strains of Caldariomyces fumago and related fungi were found to produce extracellular chloroperoxidase when grown on a glucose - malt extract medium. High enzyme levels and pigment production were observed for C. fumago ATCC 16373 and C. fumago CMI 89362. Removal of malt extract from the medium and the replacement of glucose by fructose as the carbon source provided a defined medium which, by comparison with the complex medium, produced the following results with both fungal strains. Chloroperoxidase was produced to similar levels, with maximum production after 6 days rather than 12 days of growth; pigmentation of the medium was reduced by 90% and the pH of the medium remained constant, thus stabilizing enzyme activity. Addition or urea or proline as a nitrogen supplement to nitrate enhanced enzyme production by strain CMI 89362. Comparison of the two strains indicated that CMI 89352 produced higher levels of chloroperoxidase than ATCC 16373.