Vol. 9, Special Issue 10, Part F (2025)

The present study reports the isolation and characterization of lignin degrading bacteria from diverse lignin rich habitats of the Dangs region, Gujarat. A total of 25 bacterial isolates were obtained through enrichment on wheat straw based mineral salt medium (MSM), of which four (MV11, MV17, MV19 and MV22) consistently exhibited ligninolytic activity on ABTS, o-dianisidine, guaiacol and Azure B plates. Among these, isolate MV19 showed the highest potency index and was identified as Staphylococcus cohnii through 16S rRNA sequencing (GenBank Accession No. PV876755). Enzymatic assays confirmed the simultaneous production of laccase, manganese peroxidase and lignin peroxidase, highlighting broad ligninolytic capacity. Optimization under submerged fermentation revealed glucose (1%) and urea (0.25%) as the most suitable carbon and nitrogen sources, while pH 6.0 and 30±2 °C favored maximum enzyme secretion. Under these conditions, MV19 achieved a peak laccase activity of 26.74 U/ml at 96 hrs, accompanied by high specific activity and protein yield. The findings establish S. cohnii MV19 as a promising ligninolytic bacterium with potential applications in biobleaching, lignocellulosic biomass valorization, wastewater treatment and environmental bioremediation.