Textile azo dye degradation by <i>Candida rugosa</i> INCQS 71011 isolated from a non-impacted area in Semi-Arid Region of Brazilian Northeast

Abstract

The yeast Candida rugosa, deposited in the Collection of Reference Microorganisms on Health Surveillance from Oswaldo Cruz Foundation under accession number INCQS 71011, was isolated from a sediment sample from Caldeirão Escuridão, a pristine water reservoir in the surroundings of Serra da Capivara National Park, and was identified based on molecular, physiological and morphological characterization. In addition, it was tested regarding its capacity to degrade three textile azo dyes, namely Reactive Red 198, Reactive Red 141, and Reactive Blue 214 at a concentration of 100 mg l^-1 during 7 days of incubation. C. rugosa INCQS 71011 was highly efficient towards two azo dyes tested, Reactive Red 198 and Reactive Red 141, demonstrating potential as a biological treatment agent of textile effluent. These results are pioneers for the yeast C. rugosa, since its degradation capacity of textile azo dyes has not yet been described. In addition, this study provides important evidence that fungi from non-impacted areas can efficiently degrade azo dyes.

Key words: Fungi, taxonomic characterization, degradation, textile azo dyes.