Characterization of solubilized arabinoxylo-oligosaccharides by MALDI-TOF MS analysis to unravel and direct enzyme catalyzed hydrolysis of insoluble wheat arabinoxylan

Enzyme Selection and Hydrolysis under Optimal Conditions Improved Phenolic Acid Solubility, and Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of Wheat Bran

Valorization of wheat bran (WB) into new high-value products is of great interest within the framework of sustainability and circular economy. In the present study, we utilized a multi-step approach to extract nutraceutical compounds (phenolic acids) from WB and improved its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties through using sequential hydrothermal and enzymatic hydrolysis. Thirteen commercial glycosidases differing in their specific activity were screened and compared for hydrolytic efficiency to release monosaccharides, ferulic acid, and diferulic acid. Ultraflo XL was selected as the desired enzyme treatment on the basis of its higher WB solubilization, as well as its monosaccharide and phenolic acids yields. The relationships between better hydrolytic performance of Ultraflo XL and its particular activity profile were established. To determine the optimum conditions for Ultraflo XL treatment, we tested different factors (solvent pH, incubation temperature, and time) under 15 experiments. A multicomponent analysis (MCA), including central composite design, model fitness, regression coefficients, analysis of variance, 3D response curves, and desirability, was used for processing optimization. A beneficial effect of autoclave treatment on the release of phenolic compounds was also evidenced. The results of MCA showed involvement of linear, quadratic, and interactive effects of processing factors, although solvent pH was the main determinant factor, affecting enzymatic extraction of phenolics and bioactivity of hydrolysates. As compared to control WB, under optimized conditions (47 °C, pH = 4.4, and 20.8 h), WB hydrolysates showed 4.2, 1.5, 2, and 3 times higher content of ferulic acid (FA) and capacity to scavenge oxygen radicals, chelate transition metals, and inhibit monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 secretion in macrophages, respectively. These approaches could be applied for the sustainable utilization of WB, harnessing its nutraceutical potential.

A carbohydrate-binding family 48 module enables feruloyl esterase action on polymeric arabinoxylan

Feruloyl esterases (EC 3.1.1.73), belonging to carbohydrate esterase family 1 (CE1), hydrolyze ester bonds between ferulic acid (FA) and arabinose moieties in arabinoxylans. Recently, some CE1 enzymes identified in metagenomics studies have been predicted to contain a family 48 carbohydrate-binding module (CBM48), a CBM family associated with starch binding. Two of these CE1s, wastewater treatment sludge (wts) Fae1A and wtsFae1B isolated from wastewater treatment surplus sludge, have a cognate CBM48 domain and are feruloyl esterases, and wtsFae1A binds arabinoxylan. Here, we show that wtsFae1B also binds to arabinoxylan and that neither binds starch. Surface plasmon resonance analysis revealed that wtsFae1B's K_d for xylohexaose is 14.8 μm and that it does not bind to starch mimics, β-cyclodextrin, or maltohexaose. Interestingly, in the absence of CBM48 domains, the CE1 regions from wtsFae1A and wtsFae1B did not bind arabinoxylan and were also unable to catalyze FA release from arabinoxylan. Pretreatment with a β-d-1,4-xylanase did enable CE1 domain-mediated FA release from arabinoxylan in the absence of CBM48, indicating that CBM48 is essential for the CE1 activity on the polysaccharide. Crystal structures of wtsFae1A (at 1.63 Å resolution) and wtsFae1B (1.98 Å) revealed that both are folded proteins comprising structurally-conserved hydrogen bonds that lock the CBM48 position relative to that of the CE1 domain. wtsFae1A docking indicated that both enzymes accommodate the arabinoxylan backbone in a cleft at the CE1-CBM48 domain interface. Binding at this cleft appears to enable CE1 activities on polymeric arabinoxylan, illustrating an unexpected and crucial role of CBM48 domains for accommodating arabinoxylan.

Pretreatment of Lignocellulosic Materials as Substrates for Fermentation Processes

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant and renewable resource that potentially contains large amounts of energy. It is an interesting alternative for fossil fuels, allowing the production of biofuels and other organic compounds. In this paper, a review devoted to the processing of lignocellulosic materials as substrates for fermentation processes is presented. The review focuses on physical, chemical, physicochemical, enzymatic, and microbiologic methods of biomass pretreatment. In addition to the evaluation of the mentioned methods, the aim of the paper is to understand the possibilities of the biomass pretreatment and their influence on the efficiency of biofuels and organic compounds production. The effects of different pretreatment methods on the lignocellulosic biomass structure are described along with a discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of each method, including the potential generation of inhibitory compounds for enzymatic hydrolysis, the effect on cellulose digestibility, the generation of compounds that are toxic for the environment, and energy and economic demand. The results of the investigations imply that only the stepwise pretreatment procedure may ensure effective fermentation of the lignocellulosic biomass. Pretreatment step is still a challenge for obtaining cost-effective and competitive technology for large-scale conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into fermentable sugars with low inhibitory concentration.

Hydrolysis of wheat arabinoxylan by two acetyl xylan esterases from Chaetomium thermophilum

The thermophilic filamentous ascomycete Chaetomium thermophilum produces functionally diverse hemicellulases when grown on hemicellulose as carbon source. Acetyl xylan esterase (EC 3.1.1.72) is an important accessory enzyme in hemicellulose biodegradation. Although the genome of C. thermophilum has been sequenced, its carbohydrate esterases are not annotated yet. We applied peptide pattern recognition (PPR) tool for sequence analysis of the C. thermophilum genome, and 11 carbohydrate esterase genes were discovered. Furthermore, we cloned and heterologously expressed two putative acetyl xylan esterase genes, CtAxeA and CtAxeB, in Pichia pastoris. The recombinant proteins, rCtAxeA and rCtAxeB, released acetic acids from p-nitrophenyl acetate and water-insoluble wheat arabinoxylan. These results indicate that CtAxeA and CtAxeB are true acetyl xylan esterases. For both recombinant esterases, over 93 % of the initial activity was retained after 24 h of incubation at temperatures up to 60 °C, and over 90 % of the initial activity was retained after 24 h of incubation in different buffers from pH 4.0 to 9.0 at 4 and 50 °C. The overall xylose yield from wheat arabinoxylan hydrolysis was 8 % with xylanase treatment and increased to 34 % when xylanase was combined with rCtAxeA and rCtAxeB. In sum, the present study first report the biochemical characterization of two acetyl xylan esterases from C. thermophilum, which are efficient in hydrolyzing hemicellulose with potential application in biomass bioconversion to high value chemicals or biofuels.

New insights into the structural and spatial variability of cell-wall polysaccharides during wheat grain development, as revealed through MALDI mass spectrometry imaging

Arabinoxylans (AX) and (1→3),(1→4)-β-glucans (BG) are the major components of wheat grain cell walls. Although incompletely described at the molecular level, it is known that the chemical and distributional heterogeneity of these compounds impacts the quality and use of wheat. In this work, an emerging technique based on MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) was employed to map variations in the quantity, localization, and structure of these polysaccharides in the endosperm during wheat maturation. MALDI MSI couples detailed structural information with the spatial localization observed at the micrometer scale. The enzymic hydrolysis of AX and BG was performed directly on the grain sections, resulting in the efficient formation of smaller oligosaccharides that are easily measurable through MS, with no relocation across the grain. The relative quantification of the generated oligosaccharides was achieved. The method was validated by confirming data previously obtained using other analytical techniques. Furthermore, in situ analysis of grain cell walls through MSI revealed previously undetectable intense acetylation of AX in young compared to mature grains, together with findings concerning the feruloylation of AX and different structural features of BG. These results provide new insights into the physiological roles of these polysaccharides in cell walls and the specificity of the hydrolytic enzymes involved.

A review of lignocellulose bioconversion using enzymatic hydrolysis and synergistic cooperation between enzymes--factors affecting enzymes, conversion and synergy

Lignocellulose is a complex substrate which requires a variety of enzymes, acting in synergy, for its complete hydrolysis. These synergistic interactions between different enzymes have been investigated in order to design optimal combinations and ratios of enzymes for different lignocellulosic substrates that have been subjected to different pretreatments. This review examines the enzymes required to degrade various components of lignocellulose and the impact of pretreatments on the lignocellulose components and the enzymes required for degradation. Many factors affect the enzymes and the optimisation of the hydrolysis process, such as enzyme ratios, substrate loadings, enzyme loadings, inhibitors, adsorption and surfactants. Consideration is also given to the calculation of degrees of synergy and yield. A model is further proposed for the optimisation of enzyme combinations based on a selection of individual or commercial enzyme mixtures. The main area for further study is the effect of and interaction between different hemicellulases on complex substrates.

Analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry: an update for 2007-2008

This review is the fifth update of the original review, published in 1999, on the application of MALDI mass spectrometry to the analysis of carbohydrates and glycoconjugates and brings coverage of the literature to the end of 2008. The first section of the review covers fundamental studies, fragmentation of carbohydrate ions, use of derivatives and new software developments for analysis of carbohydrate spectra. Among newer areas of method development are glycan arrays, MALDI imaging and the use of ion mobility spectrometry. The second section of the review discusses applications of MALDI MS to the analysis of different types of carbohydrate. Specific compound classes that are covered include carbohydrate polymers from plants, N- and O-linked glycans from glycoproteins, biopharmaceuticals, glycated proteins, glycolipids, glycosides and various other natural products. There is a short section on the use of MALDI mass spectrometry for the study of enzymes involved in glycan processing and a section on the use of MALDI MS to monitor products of the chemical synthesis of carbohydrates with emphasis on carbohydrate-protein complexes and glycodendrimers. Corresponding analyses by electrospray ionization now appear to outnumber those performed by MALDI and the amount of literature makes a comprehensive review on this technique impractical. However, most of the work relating to sample preparation and glycan synthesis is equally relevant to electrospray and, consequently, those proposing analyses by electrospray should also find material in this review of interest.

Biocatalytic conversion of wheat bran hydrolysate using an immobilized GH43 beta-xylosidase

To investigate the concept of a xylosidase-based process for the continuous production of xylose from arabinoxylan-containing feedstocks, a beta-xylosidase from Bacillus halodurans C-125 was immobilized and deployed in packed bed reactor (PBR). Among the several immobilization methods tested, glutaraldehyde-mediated immobilization on chitosan was the best both in terms of immobilization and activity yields (91% and 72.9%, respectively). In batch experiments the immobilized enzyme hydrolyzed wheat bran hydrolysates quite efficiently, consuming nearly all xylobiose and xylotriose after 6h. Its reusability showed only a 50% decrease of its activity after 92h. Using the chitosan-immobilized beta-xylosidase in a PBR, xylose productivity was 7.2g xylose l(-1)h(-1) and the conversion factor was 0.55 (derived from initial xylose in the substrate). The operational stability of the PBR was good, because only 25% of productivity was lost after the treatment of three batches of substrate over a 72-h period.

Progress and challenges in enzyme development for biomass utilization

Enzymes play a critical role in the conversion of lignocellulosic waste into fuels and chemicals, but the high cost of these enzymes presents a significant barrier to commercialization. In the simplest terms, the cost is a function of the large amount of enzyme protein required to break down polymeric sugars in cellulose and hemicellulose to fermentable monomers. In the past 6 years, significant effort has been expended to reduce the cost by focusing on improving the efficiency of known enzymes, identification of new, more active enzymes, creating enzyme mixes optimized for selected pretreated substrates, and minimization of enzyme production costs. Here we describe advances in enzyme technology for use in the production of biofuels and the challenges that remain.