Sorption of Zinc by exopolysaccharides produced by liquid media of phytopatogenic fungi

Phytopathogenic fungi such as: Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and Rhizopus stolonifer were cultivated in three different liquid culture media: LCC (glucose 40 g L , yeast extract 3 g L), LC2 (glucose 40 g L, yeast extract 3 g L and tryptone peptone 2 g L) and LC3 (glucose 40 g L, yeast extract 3 g L and tryptone peptone 10 g L) under pH of 5.5 for the production of mycelial biomass and exopolysaccharides (EPS). The liquid culture medium (LC3) used in cultivation of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides showed the highest production of biomass (15.40 g L ) and exopolysaccharides (3.40 g L). Exopolysaccharides (EPS) obtained from the liquid culture medium (LC3) of Colletotrichum gloeosporioides presented the highest absorption content of Zinc (56 mg g). The results presented that the exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides showed the greatest biosorbent capacity of Zinc (Zn) using the culture medium with the highest amount of tryptone peptone.