Characterization of a mycelial fructosyltransferase from Aspergillus tamarii NKRC 1229 for efficient synthesis of fructooligosaccharides

Production, Kinetic/Thermodynamic Study, and Evaluation of the Influence of Static Magnetic Field on Kinetic Parameters of β-Fructofuranosidase from Aspergillus tamarii Kita UCP 1279 Produced by Solid-State Fermentation

β-fructofuranosidases (FFases) are enzymes involved in sucrose hydrolysis and can be used in the production of invert sugar and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS). This last is an important prebiotic extensively used in the food industry. In the present study, the FFase production by Aspergillus tamarii Kita UCP 1279 was assessed by solid-state fermentation using a mixture of wheat and soy brans as substrate. The FFase presents optimum pH and temperature at 5.0–7.0 and 60 °C, respectively. According to the kinetic/thermodynamic study, the FFase was relatively stable at 50 °C, a temperature frequently used in industrial FOS synthesis, using sucrose as substrate, evidenced by the parameters half-life (115.52 min) and D-value (383.76 min) and confirmed by thermodynamic parameters evaluated. The influence of static magnetic field with a 1450 G magnetic flux density presented a positive impact on FFase kinetic parameters evidenced by an increase of affinity of enzyme by substrate after exposition, observed by a decrease of 149.70 to 81.73 mM on Km. The results obtained indicate that FFases present suitable characteristics for further use in food industry applications. Moreover, the positive influence of a magnetic field is an indicator for further developments of bioprocesses with the presence of a magnetic field.

Recent trends in the biotechnology of functional non-digestible oligosaccharides with prebiotic potential

Prebiotics as a part of dietary nutrition can play a crucial role in structuring the composition and metabolic function of intestinal microbiota and can thus help in managing a clinical scenario by preventing diseases and/or improving health. Among the different prebiotics, non-digestible carbohydrates are molecules that selectively enrich a typical class of bacteria with probiotic potential. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the different aspects of prebiotics, such as its production, characterization and purification by various techniques, and its link to novel product development at an industrial scale for wide-scale use in diverse range of health management applications. Furthermore, the path to effective valorization of agricultural residues in prebiotic production has been elucidated. This review also discusses the recent developments in application of genomic tools in the area of prebiotics for providing new insights into the taxonomic characterization of gut microorganisms, and exploring their functional metabolic pathways for enzyme synthesis. However, the information regarding the cumulative effect of prebiotics with beneficial bacteria, their colonization and its direct influence through altered metabolic profile is still getting established. The future of this area lies in the designing of clinical condition specific functional foods taking into consideration the host genotypes, thus facilitating the creation of balanced and required metabolome and enabling to maintain the healthy status of the host.

A novel β-fructofuranosidase produced by Penicillium citreonigrum URM 4459: purification and biochemical features

Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) are prebiotics of interest to the food industry. These compounds can be produced through the transfructosylation reaction by the enzyme fructofuranosidase. This enzyme is widely produced by fungi in a medium rich in sugar. Therefore, in this work, the main objectives were production, purification, biochemical characterization of a novel fructofuranosidase enzyme by Penicillium citreonigrum URM 4459 and synthesize and evaluate the antibacterial potential of fructooligosaccharides. With respect to sucrose hydrolysis, the optimal pH was 5.5, the apparent Km for purified FFase was 3.8 mM, the molecular mass was 43.0 kDa, estimated by gel filtration on Superdex increase G75 controlled by AKTA Avant 25 and confirmed by 10% SDS-PAGE under denaturing condition. Also, the isoelectric point was 4.9. The fractions obtained with enzymatic activities, both stable at acidic pH and high temperatures, as well as being able to produce FOS. Regarding antibacterial activity, the FOS produced in this study showed better results than commercial FOS and other carbon sources. Thus, this work presents relevant data for the use of P. citreonigum to produce fructofuranosidase and consequently FOS and can be used in the food and pharmaceutical industry.

Purification of Aspergillus tamarii mycelial fructosyltransferase (m-FTase), optimized FOS production, and evaluation of its anticancer potential

In the present study, generation of prebiotic fructooligosaccharides (FOS) using Aspergillus tamarii FTase was optimized by applying response surface methodology. Optimal FOS (251 g L^-1 ) was generated at 28.4°C, pH 7.0 and 50% (w/v) sucrose leading to 1.97-fold yield enhancement. The m-FTase was purified using ultrafiltration followed by HiTrap Q HP anion exchange chromatography resulting in 2.15-fold purified FTase with 12.76 U mg^-1 specific activity. Purified FTase (75 kDa) had K_m and V_max values of 1049.717 mM and 2.094 µmol min^-1  mg^-1 , respectively. FOS incorporation led to upregulation of caspase 3, caspase 9, and Bax genes suggesting mitochondrial apoptosis activation in cancer cells. The study describes characteristics of purified FTase from A. tamarii, production optimization of FOS and unravels the role of FOS in anticancer activity against HT-29 cells. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study provides detailed insights of kinetic and thermodynamic characteristics of purified FTase, a prebiotic FOS-generating enzyme. Moreover, the role of the apoptotic genes involved in anticancer activity, and the prebiotic potential of FOS is also investigated. These findings are important in the context of FOS applications, and the optimized production strategies make it useful for industrial application.

Recent Developments in Industrial Mycozymes: A Current Appraisal

Fungi, being natural decomposers, are the most potent, ubiquitous and versatile sources of industrial enzymes. About 60% of market share of industrial enzymes is sourced from filamentous fungi and yeasts. Mycozymes (myco-fungus; zymes-enzymes) are playing a pivotal role in several industrial applications and a number of potential applications are in the offing. The field of mycozyme production, while maintaining the old traditional methods, has also witnessed a sea change due to advents in recombinant DNA technology, optimisation protocols, fermentation technology and systems biology. Consolidated bioprocessing of abundant lignocellulosic biomass and complex polysaccharides is being explored at an unprecedented pace and a number of mycozymes of diverse fungal origins are being explored using suitable platforms. The present review attempts to revisit the current status of various mycozymes, screening and production strategies and applications thereof.

Fermentative Production of Fructo-Oligosaccharides Using Aureobasidium pullulans: Effect of Dissolved Oxygen Concentration and Fermentation Mode

Fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) are prebiotics with numerous health benefits. So far, the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration control strategy for fermentative production of FOS is still unknown. In order to improve FOS production, the effects of DO concentration and fermentation mode on FOS using Aureobasidium pullulans were investigated in this study. The greatest FOS production (123.2 ± 6.2 g/L), with a yield of 61.6% ± 3.0% (g FOS/g sucrose), was obtained in batch culture under high DO concentration. Furthermore, repeated-batch culture revealed that enzyme production and FOS production were not closely associated with cell growth. By keeping the DO concentration above 5% in the repeated-batch culture, a maximum FOS concentration of 548.3 ± 37.4 g/L and yield of 68.6% ± 2.6% (g FOS/g sucrose) were obtained, which were 3.45% and 11.4% times higher than those obtained in the batch culture without DO control, respectively. Additionally, the ratios of 1-fructofuranosyl nystose (GF4) and 1,1,1,1-kestohexose (GF5) were 33.8% and 23.2%, respectively, in the product of repeated-batch culture, but these compounds were not detected in batch culture. Thus, it can be concluded that the DO concentration affects not only the yield of FOS but also the composition of FOS with different degrees of polymerization, which is the key factor in the fermentative production of FOS with a high polymerization degree.

Production, properties, and applications of fructosyltransferase: a current appraisal

BACKGROUND

Fructosyltransferases (FTases) are drawing increasing attention due to their application in prebiotic fructooligosaccharide (FOS) generation. FTases have been reported to occur in a variety of microorganisms but are predominantly found in filamentous fungi. These are employed at the industrial scale for generating FOS which make the key ingredient in functional food supplements and nutraceuticals due to their bifidogenic and various other health-promoting properties.

SCOPE AND APPROACH

This review is aimed to discuss recent developments made in the area of FTase production, characterization, and application in order to present a comprehensive account of their present status to the reader. Structural features, catalytic mechanisms, and FTase improvement strategies have also been discussed in order to provide insight into these aspects.

KEY FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS

Although FTases occur in several plants and microorganisms, fungal FTases are being exploited commercially for industrial-scale FOS generation. Several fungal FTases have been characterized and heterologously expressed. However, considerable scope exists for improved production and application of FTases for cost-effective production of prebiotic FOS.HIGHLIGHTSFructosyltrasferase (FTase) is a key enzyme in fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS) generationDevelopments in the production, properties, and functional aspects of FTasesMolecular modification and immobilization strategies for improved FOS generationFructosyltransferases are innovation hotspots in the food and nutraceutical industries.

Continuous production of fructooligosaccharides by recycling of the thermal-stable β-fructofuranosidase produced by Aspergillus niger

OBJECTIVE

To achieve continuous production of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) by recycling of the mycelial cells containing the thermal-stable β-fructofuranosidase in Aspergillus niger without immobilization.

RESULTS

The thermal-stable β-fructofuranosidase FopA-V1 was successfully expressed in A. niger ATCC 20611 under the control of the constitutive promoter PgpdA. The engineered A. niger strain FV1-11 produced the β-fructofuranosidase with improved thermostability, which remained 91.2% of initial activity at 50 °C for 30 h. Then its mycelial β-fructofuranosidase was recycled for the synthesis of FOS. It was found that the enzyme still had 79.3% of initial activity after being reused for six consecutive cycles, whereas only 62.3% β-fructofuranosidase activity was detected in the parental strain ATCC 20611. Meanwhile, the FOS yield of FV1-11 after six consecutive cycles reached 57.1% (w/w), but only 51.0% FOS yield was detected in ATCC 20611.

CONCLUSIONS

The thermal-stable β-fructofuranosidase produced by A. niger can be recycled to achieve continuous synthesis of FOS with high efficiency, providing a powerful and economical strategy for the industrial production of FOS.

Purification and biochemical characterization of an extracellular fructosyltransferase enzyme from Aspergillus niger sp. XOBP48: implication in fructooligosaccharide production

An extracellular fructosyltransferase (Ftase) enzyme with a molar mass of ≈70 kDa from a newly isolated indigenous coprophilous fungus Aspergillus niger sp. XOBP48 is purified to homogeneity and characterized in this study. The enzyme was purified to 4.66-fold with a total yield of 15.53% and specific activity of 1219.17 U mg^-1 of protein after a three-step procedure involving (NH₄)₂SO₄ fractionation, dialysis and anion exchange chromatography. Ftase showed optimum activity at pH 6.0 and temperature 50 °C. Ftase exhibited over 80% residual activity at pH range of 4.0-10.0 and ≈90% residual activity at temperature range of 40-60 °C for 6 h. Metal ion inhibitors Hg²⁺ and Ag⁺ significantly inhibited Ftase activity at 1 mmol concentration. Ftase showed K _m, v _max and k _cat values of 79.51 mmol, 45.04 µmol min^-1 and 31.5 min^-1, respectively, with a catalytic efficiency (k _cat/K _m) of 396 µmol^-1 min^-1 for the substrate sucrose. HPLC-RI experiments identified the end products of fructosyltransferase activity as monomeric glucose, 1-kestose (GF₂), and 1,1-kestotetraose (GF₃). This study evaluates the feasibility of using this purified extracellular Ftase for the enzymatic synthesis of biofunctional fructooligosaccharides.

Analysis of oligosaccharides from Panax ginseng by using solid-phase permethylation method combined with ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Q-Orbitrap/mass spectrometry

Background

The reports about valuable oligosaccharides in ginseng are quite limited. There is an urgent need to develop a practical procedure to detect and analyze ginseng oligosaccharides.

Methods

The oligosaccharide extracts from ginseng were permethylated by solid-phase methylation method and then were analyzed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-Q-Orbitrap/MS. The sequence, linkage, and configuration information of oligosaccharides were determined by using accurate m/z value and tandem mass information. Several standard references were used to further confirm the identification. The oligosaccharide composition in white ginseng and red ginseng was compared using a multivariate statistical analysis method.

Results

The nonreducing oligosaccharide erlose among 12 oligosaccharides identified was reported for the first time in ginseng. In the comparison of the oligosaccharide extracts from white ginseng and red ginseng, a clear separation was observed in the partial least squares-discriminate analysis score plot, indicating the sugar differences in these two kinds of ginseng samples. The glycans with variable importance in the projection value large than 1.0 were considered to contribute most to the classification. The contents of oligosaccharides in red ginseng were lower than those in white ginseng, and the contents of maltose, maltotriose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, maltohexaose, maltoheptaose, maltooctaose, maltononaose, sucrose, and erlose decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in red ginseng.

Conclusion

A solid-phase methylation method combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was successfully applied to analyze the oligosaccharides in ginseng extracts, which provides the possibility for holistic evaluation of ginseng oligosaccharides. The comparison of oligosaccharide composition of white ginseng and red ginseng could help understand the differences in pharmacological activities between these two kinds of ginseng samples from the perspective of glycans.