Microbial tannases: advances and perspectives

Purification and characterization of extracellular tannase from Aspergillus fumigatus MA using Syzigium cumini leaves under solid state fermentation

This study reports the tannase purification produced by a tannery effluent-originated fungal isolate i.e., Aspergillus fumigatus MA under solid state fermentation (SSF) condition. Purification of tannase from culture filtrate was attained using ammonium sulfate precipitation with subsequent diethylaminoethyl (DEAE)-cellulose mediated ion exchange chromatographic technique. Fractional precipitation of the culture filtrate with 60-80% ammonium sulfate yielded 80.9% recovery of tannase with 6.16-fold purification. The enzyme fractions were collected and eluted as a single peak using 0.5 M NaCl-gradient concentration. DEAE-cellulose column chromatography results in overall 23-fold purification with 27.6% recovery of the enzyme. SDS-PAGE analysis of purified tannase confirmed the presence of a single band of protein with a molecular mass equivalent to 66.2 kDa. The highest activity of tannase was observed at optimum pH ranged between 5.0-6.0 whereas, the tannase stability (>80%) was observed at 4.0 to 7.0 pH ranges. The purified tannase activity was found to be optimally active at 30 °C whereas stability (>90%) was accomplished between 30-50 °C temperature. The Km and Vmax were found to be 1.61 × 10-3 M and 1.04 mM respectively. These properties suggest the potential of the enzyme to be utilized in various food, feed, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Production of tannase from a newly isolated yeast, Geotrichum cucujoidarum using agro-residues

With an aim of producing commercially important tannase enzyme using cheap and readily available agro-residues, leaves of Indian Gooseberry (Phyllanthus emblica) and Jamun (Syzygium cumini), peels of Lemon (Citrus limon), and Pomegranate (Punica granatum) were screened. Newly isolated Geotrichum cucujoidarum was utilized for the study. Preliminary studies indicated that tannase titer obtained is not proportional to the tannin content of the agro-residues and solid state fermentation superior compared to submerged fermentation. Jamun mixed with lemon peel in equal proportion supplemented with minerals under solid-state fermentation gave a tannase titer of 15.46 U/g dry solids. Through successful implantation of Plackett-Burman design, yeast extract concentration, inoculum volume, and amount of substrate were found to be the most significant factors. Further optimization of these three factors through Response Surface Methodology resulted in the 1.7-fold increase in tannase titer. Validation experiments using 3.97 g of Jamun leaves + lemon peel powder mixed with a nutrient solution having (w/v) yeast extract - 1.1%, dextrose - 3%, Urea - 1.125%, potassium chloride - 0.1%, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate - 0.1% with the initial pH of 5, inoculated with 2.48 ml of inoculum gave a tannase titer of 26.43 U/g dry solids after 6 days of solid-state fermentation.

Optimization of production conditions, isolation, purification, and characterization of tannase from filamentous fungi

Tannase-producing filamentous fungi residing alongside tannin-rich ambient in the Northwest Himalayas were isolated at laboratory conditions and further identified by 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Five most potent tannase producing strains (EI ≥ 2.0), designated Aspergillus fumigatus AN1, Fusarium redolens AN2, Penicillium crustosum AN3, Penicillium restrictum AN4, and Penicillium commune AN5, were characterized. The strain Penicillium crustosum AN3 exhibited a maximum zone dia (25.66 mm ± 0.38). During solid-state fermentation, a maximal amount of tannase was attained with Penicillium crustosum AN3 using pine needles (substrate) by adopting response surface methodology for culture parameter optimization. Gel filtration chromatography yielded 46.48% of the partially purified enzyme with 3.94-fold of tannase purification. We found two subunits in enzyme-117.76 KDa and 88.51 KDa, respectively, in the SDS-PAGE. Furthermore, the characterization of partially purified tannase revealed a maximum enzyme activity of 8.36 U/mL at 30 °C using a substrate concentration (methyl gallate) of 10 mM. To broaden the knowledge of crude enzyme application, dye degradation studies were subjected to extracellular crude tannase from Penicillium crustosum AN3 where the maximum degradation achieved at a low enzyme concentration (5 ppm).

Expression and Immobilization of Tannase for Tannery Effluent Treatment from Lactobacillus plantarum and Staphylococcus lugdunensis: A Comparative Study

Agro-industrial discharges have higher concentrations of tannins and have been a significant cause of pollution to water bodies and soil surrounding the agro-industries. So in this study, toxic tannic acid is into commercially valuable gallic acid from the tannery effluent using immobilized microbial tannase. Tannase genes were isolated from Lactobacillus plantarum JCM 1149 (tanLpl) and Staphylococcus lugdunensis MTCC 3614 (tanA). Further, these isolated tannese genes were cloned and expressed in BL 21 host using pET 28a as an expression vector,  and immobilized in sodium alginate beads. Vegetable tannery effluent was treated by tannase-immobilized beads at 25 °C and 37 °C, where liberated gallic acid was analyzed using TLC and NMR to confirm the tannin reduction. Further, both immobilized tannases exhibited excellent reusability up to 15 cycles of regeneration without significant reduction in their activity. Moreover, we also showed that immobilized tannases tanLpl and tanA activity remained unaffected compared to the free enzyme in the presence of metal ions. Further, tanA activity remained unaffected over a wide range of pH, and tanLpl showed high thermal stability. Thus, immobilized tannase tanLpl and tanA provide a possible solution for tannery effluent treatment depending upon industry requirements and reaction composition/effluent composition, one can choose a better-immobilized tannase among the two as per the need-based requirement.

Concentration-dependent effect of plant secondary metabolites on bacterial and fungal microbiomes in caterpillar guts

IMPORTANCE

The caterpillar gut is an excellent model system for studying host-microbiome interactions, as it represents an extreme environment for microbial life that usually has low diversity and considerable variability in community composition. Our study design combines feeding caterpillars on a natural and artificial diet with controlled levels of plant secondary metabolites and uses metabarcoding and quantitative PCR to simultaneously profile bacterial and fungal assemblages, which has never been performed. Moreover, we focus on multiple caterpillar species and consider diet breadth. Contrary to many previous studies, our study suggested the functional importance of certain microbial taxa, especially bacteria, and confirmed the previously proposed lower importance of fungi for caterpillar holobiont. Our study revealed the lack of differences between monophagous and polyphagous species in the responses of microbial assemblages to plant secondary metabolites, suggesting the limited role of the microbiome in the plasticity of the herbivore diet.

Effects of Fermentation on Bioactivity and the Composition of Polyphenols Contained in Polyphenol-Rich Foods: A Review

Polyphenols, as common components with various functional activities in plants, have become a research hotspot. However, researchers have found that the bioavailability and bioactivity of plant polyphenols is generally low because they are usually in the form of tannins, anthocyanins and glycosides. Polyphenol-rich fermented foods (PFFs) are reported to have better bioavailability and bioactivity than polyphenol-rich foods, because polyphenols are used as substrates during food fermentation and are hydrolyzed into smaller phenolic compounds (such as quercetin, kaempferol, gallic acid, ellagic acid, etc.) with higher bioactivity and bioavailability by polyphenol-associated enzymes (PAEs, e.g., tannases, esterases, phenolic acid decarboxylases and glycosidases). Biotransformation pathways of different polyphenols by PAEs secreted by different microorganisms are different. Meanwhile, polyphenols could also promote the growth of beneficial bacteria during the fermentation process while inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, during the fermentation of PFFs, there must be an interactive relationship between polyphenols and microorganisms. The present study is an integration and analysis of the interaction mechanism between PFFs and microorganisms and is systematically elaborated. The present study will provide some new insights to explore the bioavailability and bioactivity of polyphenol-rich foods and greater exploitation of the availability of functional components (such as polyphenols) in plant-derived foods.

UV-Visible-NIR camouflage textiles with natural plant based natural dyes on natural fibre against woodland combat background for defence protection

Woodland combat background (CB) is a common source of natural plant based natural dyes (NPND). Swietenia Macrophylla, Mangifera Indica, Terminalia Arjuna, Corchorus Capsularis, Camellia Sinensis, Azadirachta Indica, Acacia Acuminata, Areca Catechu and Cinnamomum Tamala were dried-grinded-powdered-extracted-polyaziridine encapsulated-dyed-coated-printed with leafy design on cotton fabric and tested against woodland CB under the reflection engineering of ultraviolet (UV)-visible (Vis)-near infrared (NIR) spectrums and photographic versus chromatic techniques of Vis imaging. The reflection properties of NPND treated and untreated cotton fabric were experimented by UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer from 220 to 1400 nm. Six segments of field trialling for NPND treated woodland camouflage textiles were also investigated for concealment, detection, recognition and identification of target signature against forest plants/herbs species; common tree of woodland CB such as Shorea Robusta Gaertn, Bamboo Vulgaris, Musa Acuminata; and a wooden bridge made by Eucalyptus Citriodora & Bamboo Vulgaris. The imaging properties such as CIE L*, a*, b* and RGB (red, green, blue) of NPND treated cotton-garments were captured by digital camera from 400 to 700 nm against tree stem/bark, dry leaves, green leaves and dry wood of woodland CB. Therefore, a colorful matching for concealment, detection, recognition and identification of target signature against woodland CB was verified by Vis camera imaging and UV-Vis-NIR reflection mechanism. UV-protection property of Swietenia Macrophylla treated cotton fabric was also investigated by diffuse reflection for defence clothing. Simultaneous 'camouflage textiles in UV-Vis-NIR' and 'UV-protective' property of Swietenia Macrophylla treated fabric have been investigated for NPND materials-based textiles coloration (dyeing-coating-printing) which is a new concept for camouflage formulation of NPND dyed-NPND mordanted-NPND coated-NPND printed textiles in terms of ecofriendly source of woodland camouflage materials. Therefore, technical properties of NPND materials and methodologies of camouflage textile assessment have been advanced in addition to coloration philosophy of natural dyed-coated-printed textiles.

Sustainable enzymatic treatment of organic waste in a framework of circular economy

Enzymatic treatment of food and vegetable waste (FVW) is an eco-friendly approach for producing industrially relevant value-added products. This review describes the sources, activities and potential applications of crucial enzymes in FVW valorization. The specific roles of amylase, cellulase, xylanase, ligninase, protease, pectinase, tannase, lipase and zymase enzymes were explained. The exhaustive list of value-added products that could be produced from FVW is presented. FVW valorization through enzymatic and whole-cell enzymatic valorization was compared. The note on global firms specialized in enzyme production reiterates the economic importance of enzymatic treatment. This review provides information on choosing an efficient enzymatic FVW treatment strategy, such as nanoenzyme and cross-linked based enzyme immobilization, to make the process viable, sustainable and cheaper. Finally, the importance of life cycle assessment of enzymatic valorization of FVW was impressed to prove this approach is a better option to shift from a linear to a circular economy.

Phenolic-Degrading Enzymes: Effect on Haze Active Phenols and Chill Haze in India Pale Ale Beer

The development of green and sustainable biotechnological approaches for preventing chill haze formation is currently under investigation. In this preliminary study, laccase and tannase (pure or combined) were applied as phenolic-degrading enzymes during two crucial brewing steps (i. post-mashing and ii. before the yeast inoculum). In post-mashing and irrespective of the dosage applied (100 μL/L or 1 mL/L), tannase-based treatment ensured the complete removal of haze active (HA) phenols, which was proved by the full prevention of chill haze (about 1 EBC vs. 22 EBC in the control sample). Before yeast inoculum for the alcoholic fermentation, the removal of haze active phenols and the prevention of chill haze were both tannase-dosage-dependent (15 and 2 EBC for the lowest and the highest dosages, respectively) although they failed to completely break down the HA phenols. This biotechnological approach did not significantly affect the chromatic properties of treated beer.

How do Time, Tannin, and Moisture Content Influence Toxicogenic Fungal Populations during the Storage of Sorghum Grains?

ABSTRACT

Cereal grains are usually ensiled to improve their nutritional value and are one of the main sources of feed for dairy cattle. However, during storage, grains can be contaminated with toxicogenic fungi. Sorghum is one of the most economically important cereals in the world. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of storage duration and tannin and moisture content (MC) on toxicogenic fungal populations in sorghum grain storage. Samples that were prepared with varieties high in tannins (genotypes Morgan 108 and ACA 558, >5 g/kg dry matter) and with varieties low in tannin content (genotypes Flash 10 and ACA 546, <1 g/kg dry matter) were collected and manually compacted in experimental laboratory silos where they received different MC treatments: low (15 to 25%), medium (26 to 32%), and high (33 to 42%). Freshly harvested grains were analyzed at time 0, and stored grains were analyzed at 30, 90, and 180 days. Fungal isolation and identification were performed following conventional mycological methods. Penicillium citrinum (34%), Aspergillus flavus (60%), and Fusarium nygamai (68%) were the most abundant species. Rapid detection of aflatoxins and fumonisins in each sample was performed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay according to the AOAC method, and the quantification of aflatoxin B1 was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. In four samples of pre- and poststorage grains, aflatoxins were detected with levels of 6.7 to 28.8 μg/kg and aflatoxin B1 with a level of 2 to 14 μg/kg. Fumonisins were only detected in two freshly harvested samples, with levels of 500 to 900 μg/kg. In general, storage time favored the increase of Penicillium populations and reduced Aspergillus and Fusarium. Conversely the abundance of the three populations was not affected by the MC. The results of this study show that fungal populations must be analyzed at different times.

HIGHLIGHTS

Structure-Dependent Eco-Toxicity of Vegetable Tannin

Vegetable tannin is widely applied in various industries, in agriculture, and in water treatment as a natural polyphenolic compound; however, little data has been collected concerning the relationship between structure and eco-toxicity. Here, the toxicity of six commercial tannin and three model chemicals was assessed using Photobacterium phosphoreum. Two kinds of hydrolyzed tannin displayed higher bioluminescence inhibition than four kinds of condensed tannin, and the model chemical of hydrolyzed tannin also showed greater toxicity than those of condensed tannin, indicating the structure dependent eco-toxicity of vegetable tannin. The reactive toxicity mechanism was proposed, which was illustrated by molecular simulations based on the model chemicals and luciferase.

Improving the Acid Resistance of Tannase TanBLp (AB379685) from Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC14917T by Site-Specific Mutagenesis

Tannin acyl hydrolase referred commonly as tannase catalyzes the hydrolysis of the galloyl ester bond of tannin to release gallic acid. The tannase TanBLp which cloned from Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC14917^T has high activity in the pH range (7.0-9.0) at 40 °C, it would be detrimental to the utilization at acidic environment. The catalytic sites and stability of TanBLp were analyzed using bioinformatics and site-specific mutagenesis. The results reiterated that the amino acid residues Ala164, Lys343, Glu357, Asp421 and His451 had played an important role in maintaining the activity. The optimum pH of mutants V75A, G77A, N94A, A164S and F243A were shifted from 8.0 to 6.0, and mutant V75A has the highest pH stability and activity at acidic conditions than other mutants, which was more suitable for industrial application to manufacture gallic acid. This study was of great significance to promote the industrialization and efficient utilization of tannase TanBLp.

Exploring changes in bacterioplankton community structure in response to tannic acid, a major component of mangrove litterfall of Sundarbans mangrove ecosystem: a laboratory mesocosm approach

Tannic acid is a secondary compound produced by vascular plants and is a major component of mangrove litterfall. Tannic acid is water soluble, leaches out from mangrove litterfall and contributes to DOC and DON pools in adjacent estuaries. About 50% of the litterfall may be degraded and channelized into the marine microbial loop. The influence of tannic acid on bacterioplankton community structure was tested by setting up laboratory-based barrel experiments. Estuarine water from Stn3 of Sundarbans Biological Observatory Time Series (SBOTS) was enriched with tannic acid, and the change in concentration of dissolved nutrients was determined on a daily basis over a span of 15 days. Concentrations of tannic acid, gallic acid and other dissolved nutrients such as nitrate and ortho-phosphate were determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. Tannic acid significantly affected the concentrations of gallic acid and dissolved nitrate in the barrels. Degradation of tannic acid was tracked by a decrease in concentration of tannic acid and generation of gallic acid. The influence of tannic acid on bacterioplankton community structure was analysed on the start (day 0), intermediate (day 3, day 5, day 7 and day 9) and end (day 15) of the experiment. Bacterioplankton community structure was elucidated by sequencing the V3-V4 region of 16S ribosomal RNA on an Illumina MiSeq platform. Proteobacteria was found to be the most dominant bacterial phylum in control and tannic acid-enriched barrels (barrels 1 and 2) on day 0. With the progression of experiment, the abundance of Proteobacteria altered significantly in the control barrel indicating the possible role of this phylum in the breakdown of tannic acid within estuarine mangroves. The abundance of Proteobacteria in the tannic acid-enriched barrels remained high, indicating that members of Proteobacteria may be capable of using tannic acid as a source of carbon and nitrogen. Tannic acid appeared to inhibit most of the other bacterioplankton phyla including Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria and Verrucomicrobia that existed in large abundance in the control barrel on day 15 but were almost absent in the tannic acid-enriched barrels. At class level, Bacteroides was found to be present in highest abundance in the tannic acid-enriched barrels. Tannic acid appeared to strongly influence the abundant bacterioplankton phyla and families as indicated by Pearson's correlation coefficient and non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination plots. Gallic acid is one of the final products of tannic acid degradation. Breakdown of tannic acid could influence the marine nitrogen and carbon cycling by releasing DON and DOC, respectively, into the adjacent estuaries. Information of breakdown and remineralization of components of litterfall such as tannic acid would also be important for calculation of carbon and nitrogen budgets of coastal ecosystems including in mangroves.

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of a Novel Bacterial Tannase From Lachnospiraceae bacterium in Ruminant Gastrointestinal Tract

Tannases are a family of esterases that catalyze the hydrolysis of ester and depside bonds present in hydrolyzable tannins to release gallic acid. Here, a novel tannase from Lachnospiraceae bacterium (TanA_Lb) was characterized. The recombinant TanA_Lb exhibited maximal activity at pH 7.0 and 50°C, and it maintained more than 70% relative activity from 30°C to 55°C. The activity of TanA_Lb was enhanced by Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺, and was dramatically reduced by Cu²⁺ and Mn²⁺. TanA_Lb is capable of degrading esters of phenolic acids with long-chain alcohols, such as lauryl gallate as well as tannic acid. The Km value and catalytic efficiency (k_cat /Km) of TanA_Lb toward five substrates showed that tannic acid (TA) was the favorite substrate. Homology modeling and structural analysis indicated that TanA_Lb contains an insertion loop (residues 341–450). Based on the moleculer docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, this loop was observed as a flap-like lid to interact with bulk substrates such as tannic acid. TanA_Lb is a novel bacterial tannase, and the characteristics of this enzyme make it potentially interesting for industrial use.

Environmental role of aromatic carboxylesterases

The carboxylesterases (EC 3.1.1.x) are widely distributed and form an important yet diverse group of hydrolases catalysing the ester bond cleavage in a variety of substrates. Besides acting on plant cell wall components like cutin, tannin and feruloyl esters, they are often the first line of defence to metabolize drugs, xenobiotics, pesticides, insecticides and plastic. But for the promiscuity of some carboxylesterases and cutinases, very few enzymes act exclusively on aromatic carboxylic acid esters. Infrequent occurrence of aromatic carboxylesterases suggests that aromatic carboxylesters are inherently more difficult to hydrolyse than the regular carboxylesters because of both steric and polar effects. Naturally occurring aromatic carboxylesters were rare before the anthropogenic activity augmented their environmental presence and diversity. An appraisal of the literature shows that the hydrolysis of aromatic carboxylic esters is a uniquely difficult endeavour and hence deserves special attention. Enzymes to hydrolyse such esters are evolving rapidly in nature. Very few such enzymes are known and they often display much lower catalytic efficiencies. Obviously, the esters of aromatic carboxylic acids, including polyethylene terephthalate waste, pose an environmental challenge. In this review, we highlight the uniqueness of aromatic carboxylesters and then underscore the importance of relevant carboxylesterases.

Changes of fungal community and non-volatile metabolites during pile-fermentation of dark green tea

Fungal community and non-volatile metabolites changes during the pile-fermentation are key factors to organoleptic qualities of dark green tea. However, the correlation between fungal succession and non-volatile compounds has never been satisfactorily explained. The purpose of the present study was to investigate fungal succession and its correlation with flavor compounds by multi-omics. Illumina Miseq sequencing of ITS1 region was conducted to analyze the fungal succession, a total of 78 OTUs which consisted of one phyla, nine classes, 15 orders, 26 families, 37 genera were identified, with Ascomycota as dominant phyla. Cluster analysis and non-metric multidimensional scaling of samples demonstrated the distribution of OTUs in multi-dimensional space, the pile-fermentation process of dark green tea can be divided into four periods according to the generated trajectory of fungal population, S0, S1-S3, S4-S5, and S6. Aspergillus is the dominant genus. Penicillium, Cyberlindnera, Debaryomyces, Candida, Thermomyces, Rasamsonia, Thermoascus, and Byssochlamys appear in different periods. three alkaloids, seven catechins, nine amino acids, five organic acids, five flavones and flavonoid glycosides were identified by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS, and the contents were all decreasing. Caffeine, EGC, EGCG, L-theanine, kaempferitrin, L-phenylalanine, gallic acid, and myricetin-3-O-galactoside are important ingredients which contribute to the flavor of dark green tea. This study demonstrated the fungal succession, non-volatile flavor compounds and their relationships during pile-fermentation of dark green tea, and provides new insights into evaluating pivotal role of fungal succession in the manufacturing process of dark green tea.

Identification of a Conserved Transcriptional Activator-Repressor Module Controlling the Expression of Genes Involved in Tannic Acid Degradation and Gallic Acid Utilization in Aspergillus niger

Tannic acid, a hydrolysable gallotannin present in plant tissues, consists of a central glucose molecule esterified with gallic acid molecules. Some microorganisms, including several Aspergillus species, can metabolize tannic acid by releasing gallic acid residues from tannic acid by secreting tannic acid specific esterases into the medium. The expression of these so-called tannases is induced by tannic acid or gallic acid. In this study, we identified a conserved transcriptional activator-repressor module involved in the regulation of predicted tannases and other genes involved in gallic acid metabolism. The transcriptional activator-repressor module regulating tannic acid utilization resembles the transcriptional activator-repressor modules regulating galacturonic acid and quinic acid utilization. Like these modules, the Zn(II)2Cys6 transcriptional activator (TanR) and the putative repressor (TanX) are located adjacent to each other. Deletion of the transcriptional activator (ΔtanR) results in inability to grow on gallic acid and severely reduces growth on tannic acid. Deletion of the putative repressor gene (ΔtanX) results in the constitutive expression of tannases as well as other genes with mostly unknown function. Known microbial catabolic pathways for gallic acid utilization involve so-called ring cleavage enzymes, and two of these ring cleavage enzymes show increased expression in the ΔtanX mutant. However, deletion of these two genes, and even deletion of all 17 genes encoding potential ring cleavage enzymes, did not result in a gallic acid non-utilizing phenotype. Therefore, in A. niger gallic acid utilization involves a hitherto unknown pathway. Transcriptome analysis of the ΔtanX mutant identified several genes and gene clusters that were significantly induced compared to the parental strain. The involvement of a selection of these genes and gene clusters in gallic acid utilization was examined by constructing gene deletion mutants and testing their ability to grow on gallic acid. Only the deletion of a gene encoding an FAD-dependent monooxygenase (NRRL3_04659) resulted in a strain that was unable to grow on gallic acid. Metabolomic studies showed accumulation of gallic acid in the ΔNRRL3_04659 mutant suggesting that this predicted monooxygenase is involved in the first step of gallic acid metabolism and is likely responsible for oxidation of the aromatic ring.

Inter-trophic Interaction of Gut Microbiota in a Tripartite System

Gut microbiota can be transmitted either environmentally or socially and vertically at intraspecific level; however, whether gut microbiota interact along trophic levels has been largely overlooked. Here, we characterized the gut bacterial communities of weevil larvae of Curculio arakawai that infest acorns of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) as well as acorn-eating mammals, Siberian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus), to test whether consumption of seed-borne larvae remodels the gut bacterial communities of T. sibiricus. Ingestion of weevil larvae of C. arakawai significantly altered the gut bacterial communities of T. sibiricus. Consequently, T. sibiricus fed larvae of C. arakawai showed higher capability to counter the negative effects of tannins, in terms of body weight maintenance, acorn consumption, N content in feces, urine pH, and blood ALT activity. Our results may first show that seed-borne insects as hidden players have a potential to alter the gut microbiota of seed predators in the tripartite system.

The Change Mechanism of Structural Characterization and Thermodynamic Properties of Tannase from Aspergillus niger NL112 Under High Temperature

Tannase from Aspergillus niger NL112 was purified 5.1-fold with a yield of 50.44% via ultrafiltration, DEAE-Sepharose Fast Flow column chromatography, and Sephadex G-100 column chromatography. The molecular weight of the purified tannase was estimated as 45 kDa. The optimum temperature and pH for its activity were 45 °C and 5.0, respectively. The results of circular dichroism, FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectra indicated that high temperature could lead to the change of tannase secondary and tertiary structures. Tannase had a greater affinity for tannic acid at 40 °C with a K_m value of 2.12 mM and the greatest efficiency hydrolysis (K_cat/K_m) at 45 °C. The rate of inactivation (k) increased with the increase of temperature and the half-life (t_1/2) gradually decreased. It was found to be 1.0 of the temperature quotient (Q₁₀) value for tannic acid hydrolysis by tannase. The thermodynamic parameters of the interaction system were calculated at various temperatures. The positive enthalpy (ΔH) values and decreasing ΔH values with the increase of temperature indicated that the hydrolysis of tannase was an endothermic process. Our results indicated that elevated temperature could change the tertiary structure of tannase and reduce its thermostability, which caused a gradual decrease of tannase activity with an increase in temperature.

Crystal structure of fungal tannase from Aspergillus niger

Tannases are serine esterases that were first discovered in fungi more than one and half centuries ago. They catalyze the hydrolysis of the gallolyl ester bonds in gallotannins to release gallic acid, which is an important intermediate in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Since their discovery, fungal tannases have found wide industrial applications, although there is scarce knowledge about these enzymes at the molecular level, including their catalytic and substrate-binding sites. While this lack of knowledge hinders engineering efforts to modify the enzymes, many tannases have been isolated from various fungal strains in a search for the desired enzymatic properties. Here, the first crystal structure of a fungal tannase, that from Aspergillus niger, is reported. The enzyme possesses a typical α/β-hydrolase-fold domain with a large inserted cap domain, which together form a bowl-shaped hemispherical shape with a surface concavity surrounded by N-linked glycans. Gallic acid is bound at the junction of the two domains within the concavity by forming two hydrogen-bonding networks with neighbouring residues. One is formed around the carboxyl group of the gallic acid and involves residues from the hydrolase-fold domain, including those from the catalytic triad, which consists of Ser206, His485 and Asp439. The other is formed around the three hydroxyl groups of the compound, with the involvement of residues mainly from the cap domain, including Gln238, Gln239, His242 and Ser441. Gallic acid is bound in a sandwich-like mode by forming a hydrophobic contact with Ile442. All of these residues are found to be highly conserved among fungal and yeast tannases.

Characterization of a Robust and pH-Stable Tannase from Mangrove-Derived Yeast Rhodosporidium diobovatum Q95

Tannase plays a crucial role in many fields, such as the pharmaceutical industry, beverage processing, and brewing. Although many tannases derived from bacteria and fungi have been thoroughly studied, those with good pH stabilities are still less reported. In this work, a mangrove-derived yeast strain Rhodosporidium diobovatum Q95, capable of efficiently degrading tannin, was screened to induce tannase, which exhibited an activity of up to 26.4 U/mL after 48 h cultivation in the presence of 15 g/L tannic acid. The tannase coding gene TANRD was cloned and expressed in Yarrowia lipolytica. The activity of recombinant tannase (named TanRd) was as high as 27.3 U/mL. TanRd was purified by chromatography and analysed by SDS-PAGE, showing a molecular weight of 75.1 kDa. The specific activity of TanRd towards tannic acid was 676.4 U/mg. Its highest activity was obtained at 40 °C, with more than 70% of the activity observed at 25–60 °C. Furthermore, it possessed at least 60% of the activity in a broad pH range of 2.5–6.5. Notably, TanRd was excellently stable at a pH range from 3.0 to 8.0; over 65% of its maximum activity remained after incubation. Besides, the broad substrate specificity of TanRd to esters of gallic acid has attracted wide attention. In view of the above, tannase resources were developed from mangrove-derived yeasts for the first time in this study. This tannase can become a promising material in tannin biodegradation and gallic acid production.

Rhizopus oligosporus and Lactobacillus plantarum Co-Fermentation as a Tool for Increasing the Antioxidant Potential of Grass Pea and Flaxseed Oil-Cake Tempe

Tempe-type fermentation originating from Indonesia can enhance the antioxidant activity of plant material. However, this biological potential depends on substrates and applied microorganisms. This study aimed to determine whether co-fermentation with Rhizopus oligosporus and Lactobacillus plantarum improved antioxidant activity of tempe obtained from grass pea seeds with flaxseed oil-cake addition (up to 30%). For this purpose, substances reacting with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and free radicals scavenging potential were measured in water-soluble fractions and dialysates from simulated in vitro digestion. Additionally, the water-soluble phenolic profile was estimated. The higher level of water-extractable compounds with antioxidant activity was determined in co-fermentation products than in fungal fermentation products. Moreover, the fermentation process with the use of L. plantarum contributed to a greater accumulation of some phenolic acids (gallic acid, protocatechuic acid) in tempe without having a negative effect on the levels of other phenolic compounds determined in fungal fermented tempe. During in vitro digestion simulating the human digestive tract, more antioxidant compounds were released from products obtained after co-fermentation than fungal fermentation. An addition of 20% flaxseed oil-cake and the application of bacterial-fungal co-fermentation, can be considered as an alternative tool to enhance the antioxidant parameters of grass pea tempe.

Changes in the Biotransformation of Green Tea Catechins Induced by Different Carbon and Nitrogen Sources in Aspergillus niger RAF106

Biotransformation of green tea catechins mediated by microbes and/or enzymes could increase their bioavailability and improve their health benefits, but the regulatory mechanism remains unclear. Here, Aspergillus niger RAF106 isolated from Pu-erh tea was proved to be capable of degrading gradually ester-catechins into non-ester-catechins with higher bioavailability and gallic acid (GA) in aqueous solution only containing green tea catechins, and the products displayed similar radical-scavenging activity in vitro with the control. Meanwhile, the degradation was mediated by inducible enzymes as the extracellular form, and tannase might be an important enzyme among the extracellular enzymes. Moreover, it was found for the first time that the biotransformation was accelerated significantly by the addition of different nitrogen sources (i.e., yeast extract, peptone, NaNO3, and NH4Cl) and lactose through stimulating the hyphal growth and the tannase activities but was inhibited by glucose effect. Furthermore, nitrogen sources continued to promote the degradation of GA and/or non-ester-catechins by up-regulating the transcriptional expression of two dioxygenases and 10 monooxygenases. Besides, the addition of different nutrient sources except yeast extract did not alter the radical-scavenging activity of green tea catechins during the whole fermentation. These results provide a global insight into the roles of A. niger RAF106 and different nutrient sources in mediating the biotransformation of green tea catechins and modifying the radical-scavenging activity of biotransformed catechins.

Efficient production of recombinant tannase in Aspergillus oryzae using an improved glucoamylase gene promoter

A tannase-encoding gene, AotanB, from Aspergillus oryzae RIB40 was overexpressed in A. oryzae AOK11 niaD-deficient mutant derived from an industrial strain under the control of an improved glucoamylase gene promoter PglaA142. The recombinant tannase, designated as rAoTanBO, was produced efficiently as an active extracellular enzyme. Purified rAoTanBO showed a smeared band with a molecular mass of approximately 80-100 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The rAoTanBO had a molecular mass of 65 kDa, after treatment with endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase H. Purified rAoTanBO exhibited maximum activity at 30-35°C and pH 6.0. The tannase activity of purified rAoTanBO towards natural and artificial substrates was 2-8 folds higher than that of the recombinant enzyme produced by Pichia pastoris, designated as rAoTanBP. N-terminus of the mature rAoTanBP had six more amino acids than the N-terminus of the mature rAoTanBO. Kinetic analyses showed that rAoTanBO had higher catalytic efficiency (k_cat/K_m) than rAoTanBP. rAoTanBO was stable up to 60°C and higher thermostability than rAoTanBP. N-linked oligosaccharides had no effect on the activity and stability of rAoTanBO and rAoTanBP.

Integrated Approaches to Reveal Genes Crucial for Tannin Degradation in Aureobasidium melanogenum T9

Tannins biodegradation by a microorganism is one of the most efficient ways to produce bioproducts of high value. However, the mechanism of tannins biodegradation by yeast has been little explored. In this study, Aureobasidium melanogenum T9 isolated from red wine starter showed the ability for tannins degradation and had its highest biomass when the initial tannic acid concentration was 20 g/L. Furthermore, the genes involved in the tannin degradation process were analyzed. Genes tan A, tan B and tan C encoding three different tannases respectively were identified in the A. melanogenum T9. Among these genes, tan A and tan B can be induced by tannin acid simultaneously at both gene transcription and protein expression levels. Our assay result showed that the deletion of tanA and tanB resulted in tannase activity decline with 51.3 ± 4.1 and 64.1 ± 1.9 U/mL, respectively, which is much lower than that of A. melanogenum T9 with 91.3 ± 5.8 U/mL. In addition, another gene coding gallic acid decarboxylase (gad) was knocked out to better clarify its function. Mutant Δgad completely lost gallic acid decarboxylase activity and no pyrogallic acid was seen during the entire cultivation process, confirming that there was a sole gene encoding decarboxylase in the A. melanogenum T9. These results demonstrated that tanA, tanB and gad were crucial for tannin degradation and provided new insights for the mechanism of tannins biodegradation by yeast. This finding showed that A. melanogenum has potential in the production of tannase and metabolites, such as gall acid and pyrogallol.

Modeling and optimization of tannase production with Triphala in packed bed reactor by response surface methodology, genetic algorithm, and artificial neural network

In this research, optimization of the production medium to enhance tannase production by Bacillus gottheilii M2S2 in laboratory-scale packed bed reactor was studied. Amount of substrate Triphala, moisture content, aeration rate, and fermentation period was chosen for optimization study. During one variable at a time optimization, the highest tannase activity of 0.226 U/gds was shown with Triphala as a substrate at the fermentation period of 32 h. Furthermore, the optimum conditions predicted by response surface methodology (RSM) and genetic algorithm (GA) were found to be 11.532 g of substrate Triphala, 47.071% of the moisture content, and 1.188 L/min of an aeration rate with uppermost tannase activity of 0.262 U/gds. In addition, the single hidden layer feedforward neural network (SLFNN) and the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) of an artificial neural network (ANN) were adopted to compare the prediction performances of the RSM and GA. It revealed that the ANN models (SLFNN, R ² = 0.9930; and RBFNN, R ² = 0.9949) were better predictors than the RSM (R ² = 0.9864). Finally, the validation experiment exhibited 0.265 U/gds of tannase activity at the optimized conditions, which is an 11-fold increase compared to unoptimized media in shake flask.

In silico optimization of enzyme mediated debittering of Assam lemon: biochemical and sensory evaluation studies

Commercialization of citrus fruit juice is always hindered by the bitterness development in juice when stored for a significant period of time. In order to debitter citrus juice, an attempt has been taken up by treating the juice with tannase. Central Composite Design (CCD) based Response Surface Methodology (RSM) has been implemented to evaluate and optimize the effect of underlying process parameters viz., enzyme volume, temperature, incubation time and enzyme titre on debittering effect of Assam lemon juice. The significance of parameters and their interaction were assessed by analysis of variance at 95% level of confidence. Optimization study reveals that the maximum debittering (40.12 ± 0.02%) of Assam lemon juice takes place at ambient temperature (37 °C) within an incubation time of 2 h and 1.12% (v/v) enzyme volume while 30 IU/ml enzyme activity. Moreover, percentage contribution of the underlying process parameters demonstrate that the enzyme volume and enzyme titre as first and second most significant contributors in process of debittering. As part of validating the above results, experimental debittering has been performed and compared with predicted debittering percentage which showed a high coefficient value (0.971) which ensures the effectiveness of the proposed model. Biochemical analysis of the treated juice reveals improved antioxidant property after enzymatic treatment by 15.30%. Total sugar and reducing sugar content has also been enhanced by 1.38 and 1.49 folds, respectively, after enzymatic treatment of juice. Furthermore, no alteration in the elemental composition of the treated juice ensure that the quality of the final juice is retained with the enzyme applications. Sensory analysis based on nine-point Hedonic scale advocates the best organoleptic property in 1% (v/v) enzyme treated juice.

Body Mass Index as a Determinant of Systemic Exposure to Gallotannin Metabolites during 6-Week Consumption of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) and Modulation of Intestinal Microbiota in Lean and Obese Individuals

SCOPE

This human clinical pilot trial investigated pharmacokinetics of gallotannin-metabolites and modulation of intestinal microbiota in healthy lean and obese individuals after 6 weeks of daily mango consumption.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Participants are divided into three groups: Lean Mango (LM: n = 12; BMI = 22.9 kg m^-2 ), Obese Mango (OM: n = 9; BMI = 34.6 kg m^-2 ), and Lean Control (LC: n = 11; BMI = 22.1 kg m^-2 ). LM and OM consumed 400 g of mango per day for 6 weeks. LC consumed mango only on Days 0 and 42. After 6 weeks, LM experienced increased systemic exposure (AUC_0-8h ) to gallotannin-metabolites, 1.4-fold (p = 0.043). The greatest increase is 4-O-methyl-gallic acid, 3.3-fold (p = 0.0026). Cumulative urinary excretion of gallotannin-metabolites significantly increased in LM and OM, but not LC. For OM, qPCR data show increased levels of tannase-producing Lactococcus lactis and decreased levels of Clostridium leptum and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, bacteria associated with obesity. LM experienced an increased trend of fecal levels of butyric (1.3-fold; p = 0.09) and valeric acids (1.5-fold; p = 0.056). Plasma endotoxins showed a decreased trend in LM and OM.

CONCLUSION

Continuous mango intake significantly increased systemic exposure to gallotannin- metabolites and induced an increased trend for fecal short-chain fatty acids in lean but not obese individuals. This pharmacokinetic discrepancy may result in BMI-associated reduced gallotannin-derived health benefits.

Bacterial tannases: classification and biochemical properties

Tannin acyl hydrolases, also known as tannases, are a group of enzymes critical for the transformation of tannins. The study of these enzymes, which initially evolved in different organisms to detoxify and/or use these plant metabolites, has nowadays become relevant in microbial enzymology research due to their relevant role in food tannin transformation. Microorganisms, particularly bacteria, are major sources of tannase. Cloning and heterologous expression of bacterial tannase genes and structural studies have been performed in the last few years. However, a systematic compilation of the information related to all recombinant tannases, their classification, and characteristics is missing. In this review, we explore the diversity of heterologously produced bacterial tannases, describing their substrate specificity and biochemical characterization. Moreover, a new classification based on sequence similarity analysis is proposed. Finally, putative tannases have been identified in silico for each group of tannases taking advantage of the use of the "tannase" distinctive features previously proposed.

Biotransformation of industrial tannins by filamentous fungi

Tannins are secondary metabolites that are widely distributed in the plant kingdom. They act as growth inhibitors for many microorganisms: they are released upon microbial attack, helping to fight infection in plant tissues. Extraction of tannins from plants is an active industrial sector with several applications, including oenology, animal feeding, mining, the chemical industry, and, in particular, the tanning industry. However, tannins are also considered very recalcitrant pollutants in wastewater of diverse origin. The ability to grow on plant substrates rich in tannins and on industrial tannin preparations is usually considered typical of some species of fungi. These organisms are able to tolerate the toxicity of tannins thanks to the production of enzymes that transform or degrade these substrates, mainly through hydrolysis and oxidation. Filamentous fungi capable of degrading tannins could have a strong environmental impact as bioremediation agents, in particular in the treatment of tanning wastewaters.

Controllable drug release from nano-layered hollow carrier by non-human enzyme

Natural polymers are widely used in biomedical applications because of their numerous effects. Especially, plant-derived natural polymers extracted from cell walls, especially wood, which is abundant, inexpensive and nontoxic to cells, have high mechanical strength to retain their turgor pressure. Plant-derived polymers are also unaffected by enzymes present in the human body, having a strong possibility to create a polymeric structure that releases drugs only exactly where needed. Therefore, plant-derived polymers are suitable for use in drug delivery systems (DDS) as they have durability with few drug leakage issues in the body. Here, to improve drug incorporation and release efficiency, we prepared a multilayer nanofilm from tannic acid (TA) and lignin extracted from plants and wood. We used a strategy involving film degradation by tannase and laccase, which are not present in humans, to depolymerize TA and lignin, respectively. The TA and lignin film was highly stable for 7 days at pH 3-7 and was readily degraded after enzyme treatment. We also observed controllable drug release and anticancer effect from the TA and lignin hollow carriers depending on enzymatic activity. By taking advantage of plant-derived polymers and non-toxic enzymatic reactions, we have demonstrated the film growth and degradation mechanism in depth and explored their use in a smart DDS with easily controlled release kinetics, which is useful as a DDS platform.

Substrates specificity of tannase from Streptomyces sviceus and Lactobacillus plantarum

Tannases can catalyze the hydrolysis of galloyl ester and depside bonds of hydrolysable tannins to release gallic acid and glucose, but tannases from different species have different substrate specificities. Our prior studies found that tannase from Lactobacillus plantarum (LP-tan) performed a higher esterase activity, while the tannase from Streptomyces sviceus (SS-tan) performed a higher depsidase activity; but the molecular mechanism is not elucidated. Based on the crystal structure of LP-tan and the amino acid sequences alignment between LP-tan and SS-tan, we found that the sandwich structure formed by Ile206-substrate-Pro356 in LP-tan was replaced with Ile253-substrate-Gly384 in SS-tan, and the flap domain (amino acids: 225–247) formed in LP-tan was missed in SS-tan, while a flap-like domain (amino acids: 93–143) was found in SS-tan. In this study, we investigated the functional role of sandwich structure and the flap (flap-like) domain in the substrate specificity of tannase. Site-directed mutagenesis was used to disrupt the sandwich structure in LP-tan (P356G) and rebuilt it in SS-tan (G384P). The flap in LP-tan and the flap-like domain in SS-tan were deleted to construct the new variants. The activity assay results showed that the sandwich and the flap domain can help to catalytic the ester bonds, while the flap-like domain in SS-tan mainly worked on the depside bonds. Enzymatic characterization and kinetics data showed that the sandwich and the flap domain can help to catalytic the ester bonds, while the flap-like domain in SS-tan may worked on the depside bonds.