Squalene production under oxygen limitation by Schizochytrium sp. S31 in different cultivation systems.

The triterpene squalene is widely used in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries due to its antioxidant, antistatic and anti-carcinogenic properties. It is usually obtained from the liver of deep sea sharks, which are facing extinction. Alternative production organisms are marine protists from the family Thraustochytriaceae, which produce and store large quantities of various lipids. Squalene accumulation in thraustochytrids is complex, as it is an intermediate in sterol biosynthesis. Its conversion to squalene 2,3-epoxide is the first step in sterol synthesis and is heavily oxygen dependent. Hence, the oxygen supply during cultivation was investigated in our study. In shake flask cultivations, a reduced oxygen supply led to increased squalene and decreased sterol contents and yields. Oxygen-limited conditions were applied to bioreactor scale, where squalene accumulation and growth of Schizochytrium sp. S31 was determined in batch, fed-batch and continuous cultivation. The highest dry matter (32.03 g/L) was obtained during fed-batch cultivation, whereas batch cultivation yielded the highest biomass productivity (0.2 g/L*h-1). Squalene accumulation benefited from keeping the microorganisms in the growth phase. Therefore, the highest squalene content of 39.67 ± 1.34 mg/g was achieved by continuous cultivation (D = 0.025 h-1) and the highest squalene yield of 1131 mg/L during fed-batch cultivation. Volumetric and specific squalene productivity both reached maxima in the continuous cultivation at D = 0.025 h-1 (6.94 ± 0.27 mg/L*h-1 and 1.00 ± 0.03 mg/g*h-1, respectively). Thus, the choice of a suitable cultivation method under oxygen-limiting conditions depends heavily on the process requirements. KEY POINTS: • Measurements of respiratory activity and backscatter light of thraustochytrids • Oxygen limitation increased squalene accumulation in Schizochytrium sp. S31 • Comparison of different cultivation methods under oxygen-limiting conditions.

Co-Immobilization of RizA Variants with Acetate Kinase for the Production of Bioactive Arginyl Dipeptides.

The biocatalytic system comprised of RizA and acetate kinase (AckA) combines the specific synthesis of bioactive arginyl dipeptides with efficient ATP regeneration. Immobilization of this coupled enzyme system was performed and characterized in terms of activity, specificity and reusability of the immobilisates. Co-immobilization of RizA and AckA into a single immobilisate conferred no disadvantage in comparison to immobilization of only RizA, and a small addition of AckA (20:1) was sufficient for ATP regeneration. New variants of RizA were constructed by combining mutations to yield variants with increased biocatalytic activity and specificity. A selection of RizA variants were co-immobilized with AckA and used for the production of the salt-taste enhancers Arg-Ser and Arg-Ala and the antihypertensive Arg-Phe. The best variants yielded final dipeptide concentrations of 11.3 mM Arg-Ser (T81F_A158S) and 11.8 mM Arg-Phe (K83F_S156A), the latter of which represents a five-fold increase in comparison to the wild-type enzyme. T81F_A158S retained more than 50% activity for over 96 h and K83F_S156A for over 72 h. This study provides the first example of the successful co-immobilization of an l-amino acid ligase with an ATP-regenerating enzyme and paves the way towards a bioprocess for the production of bioactive dipeptides.

Production of an Anise- and Woodruff-like Aroma by Monokaryotic Strains of Pleurotus sapidus Grown on Citrus Side Streams.

The production of natural flavors by means of microorganisms is of great interest for the food and flavor industry, and by-products of the agro-industry are particularly suitable as substrates. In the present study, Citrus side streams were fermented using monokaryotic strains of the fungus Pleurotus sapidus. Some of the cultures exhibited a pleasant smell, reminiscent of woodruff and anise, as well as herbaceous notes. To evaluate the composition of the overall aroma, liquid/liquid extracts of submerged cultures of a selected monokaryon were prepared, and the volatiles were isolated via solvent-assisted flavor evaporation. Aroma extract dilution analyses revealed p-anisaldehyde (sweetish, anisic- and woodruff-like) with a flavor dilution factor of 218 as a character impact compound. The coconut-like, herbaceous, and sweetish smelling acyloin identified as (2S)-hydroxy-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-propanone also contributed to the overall aroma and was described as an aroma-active substance with an odor threshold in air of 0.2 ng L-1 to 2.4 ng L-1 for the first time. Supplementation of the culture medium with isotopically substituted l-tyrosine elucidated this phenolic amino acid as precursor of p-anisaldehyde as well as of (2S)-hydroxy-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1-propanone. Chiral analysis via HPLC revealed an enantiomeric excess of 97% for the isolated product produced by P. sapidus.

Enzymatic hydrolysis of kaempferol 3-O-(2‴-O-sinapoyl-ß-sophoroside), the key bitter compound of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) protein isolate.

BACKGROUND: The use of rapeseed protein for human nutrition is primarily limited by its strong bitterness, which is why the key bitter compound, kaempferol 3-O-(2‴-O-sinapoyl-ß-sophoroside), is enzymatically degraded. RESULTS: Mass spectrometry analyses of an extract from an untreated rapeseed protein isolate gave three signals for m/z 815 [M-H]. The predominant compound among the three compounds was confirmed as kaempferol-3-O-(2‴-O-sinapoyl-ß-sophoroside). Enzymatic hydrolysis of this key bitter compound was achieved using a sinapyl ester cleaving side activity of a ferulic acid esterase (FAE) from the basidiomycete Schizophyllum commune (ScoFAE). Recombinant ferulic acid esterases from Streptomyces werraensis (SwFAE) and from Pleurotus eryngii (PeFAE) possessed better cleavage activity towards methyl sinapate but did not hydrolyze the sinapyl ester linkage of the bitter kaempferol sophoroside. CONCLUSION: Kaempferol-3-O-(2‴-O-sinapoyl-ß-sophoroside) was successfully degraded by enzymatic treatment with ScoFAE, which may provide a means to move the status of rapeseed protein from feed additive to food ingredient. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Co-Oxidative Transformation of Piperine to Piperonal and 3,4-Methylenedioxycinnamaldehyde by a Lipoxygenase from Pleurotus sapidus.

The valuable aroma compound piperonal with its vanilla-like olfactory properties is of high interest for the fragrance and flavor industry. A lipoxygenase (LOXPsa 1) of the basidiomycete Pleurotus sapidus was identified to convert piperine, the abundant pungent principle of black pepper (Piper nigrum), to piperonal and a second volatile product, 3,4-methylenedioxycinnamaldehyde, with a vanilla-like odor through an alkene cleavage. The reaction principle was co-oxidation, as proven by its dependence on the presence of linoleic or α-linolenic acid, common substrates of lipoxygenases. Optimization of the reaction conditions (substrate concentrations, reaction temperature and time) led to a 24-fold and 15-fold increase of the piperonal and 3,4-methylenedioxycinnamaldehyde concentration using the recombinant enzyme. Monokaryotic strains showed different concentrations of and ratios between the two reaction products.

Monokaryotic Pleurotus sapidus Strains with Intraspecific Variability of an Alkene Cleaving DyP-Type Peroxidase Activity as a Result of Gene Mutation and Differential Gene Expression.

The basidiomycete Pleurotus sapidus produced a dye-decolorizing peroxidase (PsaPOX) with alkene cleavage activity, implying potential as a biocatalyst for the fragrance and flavor industry. To increase the activity, a daughter-generation of 101 basidiospore-derived monokaryons (MK) was used. After a pre-selection according to the growth rate, the activity analysis revealed a stable intraspecific variability of the strains regarding peroxidase and alkene cleavage activity of PsaPOX. Ten monokaryons reached activities up to 2.6-fold higher than the dikaryon, with MK16 showing the highest activity. Analysis of the PsaPOX gene identified three different enzyme variants. These were co-responsible for the observed differences in activities between strains as verified by heterologous expression in Komagataella phaffii. The mutation S371H in enzyme variant PsaPOX_high caused an activity increase alongside a higher protein stability, while the eleven mutations in variant PsaPOX_low resulted in an activity decrease, which was partially based on a shift of the pH optimum from 3.5 to 3.0. Transcriptional analysis revealed the increased expression of PsaPOX in MK16 as reason for the higher PsaPOX activity in comparison to other strains producing the same PsaPOX variant. Thus, different expression profiles, as well as enzyme variants, were identified as crucial factors for the intraspecific variability of the PsaPOX activity in the monokaryons.

A DyP-Type Peroxidase of Pleurotus sapidus with Alkene Cleaving Activity.

Alkene cleavage is a possibility to generate aldehydes with olfactory properties for the fragrance and flavor industry. A dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) of the basidiomycete Pleurotus sapidus (PsaPOX) cleaved the aryl alkene trans-anethole. The PsaPOX was semi-purified from the mycelium via FPLC, and the corresponding gene was identified. The amino acid sequence as well as the predicted tertiary structure showed typical characteristics of DyPs as well as a non-canonical Mn2+-oxidation site on its surface. The gene was expressed in Komagataella pfaffii GS115 yielding activities up to 142 U/L using 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) as substrate. PsaPOX exhibited optima at pH 3.5 and 40 °C and showed highest peroxidase activity in the presence of 100 µM H2O2 and 25 mM Mn2+. PsaPOX lacked the typical activity of DyPs towards anthraquinone dyes, but oxidized Mn2+ to Mn3+. In addition, bleaching of ß-carotene and annatto was observed. Biotransformation experiments verified the alkene cleavage activity towards the aryl alkenes (E)-methyl isoeugenol, α-methylstyrene, and trans-anethole, which was increased almost twofold in the presence of Mn2+. The resultant aldehydes are olfactants used in the fragrance and flavor industry. PsaPOX is the first described DyP with alkene cleavage activity towards aryl alkenes and showed potential as biocatalyst for flavor production.

Hydrolysis of chlorogenic acid in apple juice using a p-coumaryl esterase of Rhizoctonia solani.

BACKGROUND: Apple juice is rich in polyphenolic compounds, especially in chlorogenic acid. A sour and bitter taste has been attributed to the compound. Chlorogenic acid in coffee powder was quickly hydrolysed by a p-coumaryl esterase of Rhizoctonia solani (RspCAE) at its optimal pH of 6.0. It was unknown, however, if RspCAE would also degrade chlorogenic acid under the strongly acidic conditions (pH 3.3) present in apple juice. RESULTS: Treatment of apple juice with RspCAE led to a chlorogenic acid degradation from 53.38 ± 0.94 mg L-1 to 21.02 ± 1.47 mg L-1 . Simultaneously, the caffeic acid content increased from 6.72 ± 0.69 mg L-1 to 19.33 ± 1.86 mg/L-1 . The aroma profile of the enzymatically treated sample and a control sample differed in only one volatile. Vitispirane had a higher flavour dilution factor in the treated juice. Sensory analysis showed no significant difference in the taste profile ( p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated a high stability and substrate specificity of RspCAE. An increase in caffeic acid and a concurrent decrease in chlorogenic acid concentration may exert a beneficial effect on human health. © 2019 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

High moisture extrusion of lupin protein: influence of extrusion parameters on extruder responses and product properties.

BACKGROUND: High moisture extrusion (HME) of lupin protein concentrate and isolate (50:50) mixture was performed by varying the extrusion parameters, such as barrel temperature (138-180 °C), water feed (40-68%) and screw speed (400-1800 rpm). The effect of extrusion parameters on extruder responses [die pressure, product temperature, torque and specific mechanical energy (SME)] and product properties [colour, cutting force, cooking yield, microstructure and in vitro protein digestibility (IVPD)] was evaluated. RESULTS: The multiple regression analysis of the results revealed that the water feed had a significant negative linear effect on the extruder responses considered, as well as on colour difference and cutting force of extrudates. Screw speed had a positive linear effect on product temperature, SME and cooking yield. Barrel temperature affected extruder responses and product properties to a lesser extent. Scanning electron microscopy showed that denser microstructure and higher number of fibre layers were created by increasing temperature and screw speed along with decreasing water feed. The results of IVPD of selected extrudates showed that the increase in barrel temperature decreased the IVPD, whereas the increase in water feed resulted in higher IVPD. The screw speed had no significant effect on IVPD. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that the use of lupin protein is feasible to produce meat analogues with HME which could enhance the possibilities to meet the growing protein demands for human consumption. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

A type D ferulic acid esterase from Streptomyces werraensis affects the volume of wheat dough pastries.

A type D ferulic acid esterase (FAE) was identified in the culture supernatant of Streptomyces werraensis, purified, sequenced, and heterologously produced in E. coli BL21(DE3)Star by co-expressing chaperones groES-groEL (69 U L-1). The unique enzyme with a mass of about 48 kDa showed no similarity to other FAEs, and only moderate homology (78.5%) to a Streptomycete ß-xylosidase. The purified reSwFAED exhibited a temperature optimum of 40 °C, a pH optimum in the range from pH seven to eight and a clear preference for bulky natural substrates, such as 5-O-trans-feruloyl-L-arabinofuranose (FA) and ß-D-xylopyranosyl-(1→2)-5-O-trans-feruloyl-L-arabinofuranose (FAX), compared to the synthetic standard substrate methyl ferulate. Treatment of wheat dough with as little as 0.03 U or 0.3 U kg-1 reSwFAED activity resulted in a significant increase of the bun volume (8.0 or 9.7%, resp.) after baking when combined with polysaccharide-degrading enzymes from Aspergillus. For the first time, the long-standing, but rarely proven positive effect of a FAE in baking was confirmed.

Cell-free one-pot conversion of (+)-valencene to (+)-nootkatone by a unique dye-decolorizing peroxidase combined with a laccase from Funalia trogii.

A combined system of a unique dye-decolorizing peroxidase (Ftr-DyP) and a laccase obtained from the basidiomycete Funalia trogii converted the precursor (+)-valencene completely to the high-value grapefruit flavour constituent (+)-nootkatone, reaching a concentration maximum of 1100 mg/L. In the presence of 1 mM Mn2+ and 2.5 mM p-coumaric acid, (+)-nootkatone was the predominating volatile product, and only traces of substrate and the nootkatols were detectable after 24 h. Hence, the two-enzyme-system reproduced the oxidizing activity observed before for the crude culture supernatant. The newly discovered Ftr-DyP was purified, sequenced and further characterized as a thermostable, non-glycosylated protein with a pH-optimum in the acidic range and a calculated mass of 52.3 kDa. Besides the typical activity of DyPs towards anthraquinone dyes, Ftr-DyP also oxidized Mn2+ and showed activity in the absence of hydrogen peroxide. Neither the DyP from Mycetinis scorodonius nor the manganese peroxidase from Nematoloma frowardii were able to replace Ftr-DyP in this reaction. A hypothetical reaction mechanism is presented.

BadGluc, a ß-glucosidase from Bjerkandera adusta with anthocyanase properties.

A glycosidase of the basidiomycete Bjerkandera adusta (BadGluc) was found in screenings to possess a strong decolorizing ability towards malvidin-3-galactoside, an anthocyanin abundant in various berry fruits. The BadGluc was purified from the culture supernatant via FPLC, and the corresponding gene was identified which showed low similarity to other characterized glucosidases. Scanning the primary sequence with PROSITE no active site motif was detected. Eventually, a specific 18 aa consensus pattern was identified manually. The active site motif possessed an undescribed sequence which was only found in a few hypothetical proteins. The corresponding gene was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115 yielding activities up to 100 U/L using 4-nitrophenyl-ß-d-glucopyranoside (pNPG) as substrate. The enzyme possessed a good temperature (70% after 1 h at 50°C) and pH stability (70% between pH 2 and 7.5), and preferably catalysed the hydrolysis of delphinidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside, regardless of the position of the terminal Hexa-His tag. This novel glucosidase worked in aqueous solution as well as on pre-stained fabrics making it the first known candidate anthocyanase for applications in the detergent and food industries.

Volatiles from Cinnamomum cassia buds.

While the chemical composition of leaf and stem bark essential oils of the Chinese cinnamon, Cinnamomum cassia (L.) J. Presl, has been well investigated, little is known about the volatilom of its buds, which appeared recently on German markets. Soxhlet extracts of the commercial samples were prepared, fractionated using silica gel and characterised by gas chromatography-flame ionisation detector (GC-FID) for semi-quantification, by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for identification and by GC-FID/olfactometry for sensory evaluation. Cinnamaldehyde was the most abundant compound with concentrations up to 40 mg/g sample. In total, 36 compounds were identified and 30 were semi-quantified. The extracts contained mostly phenylpropanoids, mono- and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons and oxygenated derivatives. Because of the high abundance of cinnamaldehyde, the aldehyde fraction was removed from the extracts by adding hydrogen sulphite to improve both the detection of trace compounds and column chromatography. The aldehyde fraction was analysed by GC-MS separately. The highest flavour dilution factor of 316 was calculated for cinnamaldehyde. Other main sensory contributors were 2-phenylethanol and cinnamyl alcohol. This report provides the first GC-olfactometry data of a plant part of a Cinnamomum species. The strongly lignified C. cassia buds combine a high abundance of cinnamaldehyde with comparably low coumarin concentrations (<0.48 mg/g), and provide a large cinnamaldehyde depot for slow release applications.

Variants of PpuLcc, a multi-dye decolorizing laccase from Pleurotus pulmonarius expressed in Pichia pastoris.

A laccase of the basidiomycete Pleurotus pulmonarius (PpuLcc) possessed strong decolorizing abilities towards artificial and natural dyes. The PpuLcc was purified from the culture supernatant via FPLC, and the corresponding gene cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris GS115. To examine the impact of the C-terminal tail region and the signal peptide on the recombinant expression of PpuLcc, a non-modified version or different truncations (-2, -5, -13 AA) of the target protein were combined with different secretion signals. Heterologous expression of codon optimized constructs resulted in extracellular activities of the PpuLcc variants of up to 7000 U L-1 (substrate ABTS) which was six times higher than non-codon optimized constructs. In contrast to previous works, altering the C-terminal end of the protein did not influence kinetic parameters or the rate of expression. The His-Tag purified enzymes showed high temperature optima (50-70 °C) and thermo stability. All of the recombinant variants degraded triarylmethane and azo dyes. Rapid bleaching of ß-carotene (E 160a) and the polyene acid norbixin (E 160b) using a laccase was found for the first time. Thus, the enzyme may be useful in decolorizing unwanted polyene pigments, for example from the processing of cheese, bakery, desserts, ice cream or coloured casings.

Heterologous production of a feruloyl esterase from Pleurotus sapidus synthesizing feruloyl-saccharide esters.

The feruloyl esterase (FAE) gene EST1 from the basidiomycete Pleurotus sapidus was heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris. Catalytically active recombinant Est1 was secreted using P. pastoris as a host. For expression in P. pastoris, the expression vector pPIC9K was applied. The EST1 gene was cloned with an N-terminal α-mating factor pre-pro sequence and expressed under the control of a methanol inducible alcohol oxidase 1 promotor. Est1 was purified to homogeneity using ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction chromatography. The recombinant Est1 showed optima at pH 5.0 and 50 °C, and released ferulic acid from saccharide esters and from the natural substrate destarched wheat bran. Substrate specificity profile and descriptor-based analysis demonstrated unique properties, showing that Est1 did not fit into the current FAE classification model. Transferuloylation synthesis of feruloyl-saccharide esters was proven for mono- and disaccharides.

Heterologous production of the stain solving peptidase PPP1 from Pleurotus pulmonarius.

A novel stain solving subtilisin-like peptidase (PPP1) was identified from the culture supernatant of the agaricomycete Pleurotus pulmonarius. It was purified to homogeneity using a sequence of preparative isoelectric focusing, anion exchange and size exclusion chromatography. Peptides were identified by ab initio sequencing (nLC-ESI-QTOF-MS/MS), characterizing the enzyme as a member of the subtilase family (EC 3.4.21.X). An expression system was established featuring the pPIC9K vector, an alternative Kozak sequence, the codon optimized gene ppp1 gene without the native signal sequence with C-terminal hexa-histidine tag, and Pichia pastoris GS115 as expression host. Intracellular active enzyme was obtained from cultivations in shake flasks and in a five liter bioreactor. With reaction optima of 40 °C and a pH > 8.5, considerable bleaching of pre-stained fabrics (blood, milk and India ink), and the possibility of larger-scale production, the heterologous enzyme is well suitable for detergent applications, especially at lower temperatures as part of a more energy- and cost-efficient washing process. Showing little sequence similarity to other subtilases, this unique peptidase is the first subtilisin-like peptidase from Basidiomycota, which has been functionally produced in Pichia pastoris.

Towards a metadata scheme for the description of materials - the description of microstructures.

The property of any material is essentially determined by its microstructure. Numerical models are increasingly the focus of modern engineering as helpful tools for tailoring and optimization of custom-designed microstructures by suitable processing and alloy design. A huge variety of software tools is available to predict various microstructural aspects for different materials. In the general frame of an integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach, these microstructure models provide the link between models operating at the atomistic or electronic scales, and models operating on the macroscopic scale of the component and its processing. In view of an improved interoperability of all these different tools it is highly desirable to establish a standardized nomenclature and methodology for the exchange of microstructure data. The scope of this article is to provide a comprehensive system of metadata descriptors for the description of a 3D microstructure. The presented descriptors are limited to a mere geometric description of a static microstructure and have to be complemented by further descriptors, e.g. for properties, numerical representations, kinetic data, and others in the future. Further attributes to each descriptor, e.g. on data origin, data uncertainty, and data validity range are being defined in ongoing work. The proposed descriptors are intended to be independent of any specific numerical representation. The descriptors defined in this article may serve as a first basis for standardization and will simplify the data exchange between different numerical models, as well as promote the integration of experimental data into numerical models of microstructures. An HDF5 template data file for a simple, three phase Al-Cu microstructure being based on the defined descriptors complements this article.

A chlorogenic acid esterase with a unique substrate specificity from Ustilago maydis.

An extracellular chlorogenic acid esterase from Ustilago maydis (UmChlE) was purified to homogeneity by using three separation steps, including anion-exchange chromatography on a Q Sepharose FF column, preparative isoelectric focusing (IEF), and, finally, a combination of affinity chromatography and hydrophobic interaction chromatography on polyamide. SDS-PAGE analysis suggested a monomeric protein of ∼71 kDa. The purified enzyme showed maximal activity at pH 7.5 and at 37°C and was active over a wide pH range (3.5 to 9.5). Previously described chlorogenic acid esterases exhibited a comparable affinity for chlorogenic acid, but the enzyme from Ustilago was also active on typical feruloyl esterase substrates. Kinetic constants for chlorogenic acid, methyl p-coumarate, methyl caffeate, and methyl ferulate were as follows: Km values of 19.6 µM, 64.1 µM, 72.5 µM, and 101.8 µM, respectively, and kcat/Km values of 25.83 mM(-1) s(-1), 7.63 mM(-1) s(-1), 3.83 mM(-1) s(-1) and 3.75 mM(-1) s(-1), respectively. UmChlE released ferulic, p-coumaric, and caffeic acids from natural substrates such as destarched wheat bran (DSWB) and coffee pulp (CP), confirming activity on complex plant biomass. The full-length gene encoding UmChlE consisted of 1,758 bp, corresponding to a protein of 585 amino acids, and was functionally produced in Pichia pastoris GS115. Sequence alignments with annotated chlorogenic acid and feruloyl esterases underlined the uniqueness of this enzyme.

Carotene-degrading activities from Bjerkandera adusta possess an application in detergent industries.

Four extracellular enzymes, a versatile peroxidase, a manganese peroxidase, a dye-decolorizing peroxidase and a lignin peroxidase were discovered in liquid cultures of the basidiomycete Bjerkandera adusta. All of them cleaved ß-carotene effectively. Expression was enhanced in the presence of ß-carotene or Coomassie Brilliant Blue and peaked after 7-9 days. The monomeric proteins were purified by ion exchange and size exclusion chromatography and exhibited molecular masses of 41, 43, 51 and 43 kDa, respectively. The coding sequences showed homologies from 61 to 89 % to peroxidases from other basidiomycetes. The novel enzymes retained strong activity even in the absence of hydrogen peroxide and at alkaline pH. De-staining of fabrics using detergent-tolerant enzymes may help to save the most important bio-resources, energy and water, in washing processes and led to green processes in textile cleaning.

A three-enzyme-system to degrade curcumin to natural vanillin.

The symmetrical structure of curcumin includes two 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl substructures. Laccase catalyzed formation of a phenol radical, radical migration and oxygen insertion at the benzylic positions can result in the formation of vanillin. As vanillin itself is a preferred phenolic substrate of laccases, the formation of vanillin oligomers and polymers is inevitable, once vanillin becomes liberated. To decelerate the oligomerization, one of the phenolic hydroxyl groups was protected via acetylation. Monoacetyl curcumin with an approximate molar yield of 49% was the major acetylation product, when a lipase from Candida antarctica (CAL) was used. In the second step, monoacetyl curcumin was incubated with purified laccases of various basidiomycete fungi in a biphasic system (diethyl ether/aqueous buffer). A laccase from Funalia trogii (LccFtr) resulted in a high conversion (46% molar yield of curcumin monoacetate) to vanillin acetate. The non-protected vanillin moiety reacted to a mixture of higher molecular products. In the third step, the protecting group was removed from vanillin acetate using a feruloyl esterase from Pleurotus eryngii (PeFaeA) (68% molar yield). Alignment of the amino acid sequences indicated that high potential laccases performed better in this mediator and cofactor-free reaction.