Novel amylase-producing fungus hydrolyzing wheat and brewing residues, Aspergillus carbonarius, discovered in tropical forest remnant.

Today, many microbial amylases are available commercially and they have almost completely replaced chemical hydrolysis in several industry processes. Amylases from microorganisms have a broad spectrum of industrial applications as they are more stable than amylases obtained from plants and animals. The objective of this work was to use potato baits in an Atlantic Forest remnant located in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, in order to obtain amylase-producing fungi with potential for biotechnological application. In addition, the culture conditions for the fungal strain that presented higher production of glucoamylase were standardized using industrial wastes. For this, 6 PET bottles containing potatoes as baits were scattered at different points in an Atlantic forest remnant. After 6 days, the samples were collected, and the filamentous fungi were isolated in Petri dishes. Fungi screening was carried out in Khanna liquid medium with 1% starch Reagen®, at 30 °C, pH 6.0, under static conditions for 4 days. Proteins and glucoamylase activity were determined by Bradford and 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS), respectively. Among all isolated fungi, A. carbonarius showed the highest glucoamylase production. Its best cultivation conditions were observed in Khanna medium, 4 days, at 30 °C, pH 6.0, under static condition with 0.1% yeast extract and 1% starch Reagen®. Wheat and brewing residues were also used as inducers for large quantities of glucoamylase production. A. carbonarius showed to be a good alternative for the wheat and brewing waste destinations in order to obtain high added value products.

Bioprospection and characterization of the amylolytic activity by filamentous fungi from Brazilian Atlantic Forest / Bioprospecção e caracterização da atividade amilolítica de fungos filamentosos da Mata Atlântica Brasileira

Abstract Filamentous fungi are widely diverse and ubiquitous organisms. Such biodiversity is barely known, making room for a great potential still to be discovered, especially in tropical environments - which are favorable to growth and species variety. Filamentous fungi are extensively applied to the production of industrial enzymes, such as the amylases. This class of enzymes acts in the hydrolysis of starch to glucose or maltooligosaccharides. In this work twenty-five filamentous fungi were isolated from samples of decomposing material collected in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The two best amylase producers were identified as Aspergillus brasiliensis and Rhizopus oryzae. Both are mesophilic, they grow well in organic nitrogen-rich media produce great amounts of glucoamylases. The enzymes of A. brasiliensis and R. oryzae are different, possibly because of their phylogenetical distance. The best amylase production of A. brasiliensis occurred during 120 hours with initial pH of 7.5; it had a better activity in the pH range of 3.5-5.0 and at 60-75°C. Both fungal glucoamylase had wide pH stability (3-8) and were activated by Mn2+. R. oryzae best production occurred in 96 hours and at pH 6.5. Its amylases had a greater activity in the pH range of 4.0-5.5 and temperature at 50-65ºC. The most significant difference between the enzymes produced by both fungi is the resistance to thermal denaturation: A. brasiliensis glucoamylase had a T50 of 60 minutes at 70ºC. The R. oryzae glucoamylase only had a residual activity when incubated at 50°C with a 12 min T50.

Resumo Fungos filamentosos são organismos amplamente diversificados e ubíquos. Esta biodiversidade ainda é pouco caracterizada, desta forma, há um grande potencial a ser descoberto, sobretudo em biomas tropicais, que favorecem o crescimento e diversificação de espécies. Fungos filamentosos são extensivamente utilizados para a produção industrial de enzimas, como as amilases. Esta classe de enzimas atua na hidrólise do amido em glicose ou maltooligossacarídeos. Neste trabalho 25 cepas de fungos filamentosos foram isoladas a partir de amostras de material em decomposição coletados na Mata Atlântica Brasileira. As duas cepas que produziram mais amilases foram identificadas como Aspergillus brasiliensis e Rhizopus oryzae. Ambos os fungos são mesofílicos, crescem bem em meio de cultivo rico em nitrogênio orgânico, e produziram grande quantidade de glucoamilase. As enzimas de A. brasiliensis e R. oryzae possuem características distintas, possivelmente devido à distância filogenética das espécies. A produção de amilase mais expressiva de A. brasiliensis ocorreu em 120 horas de cultivo e pH inicial de 7,5; possui maior atividade em temperaturas entre 60-75ºC e pH entre 3,5-5,0. Ambas glucoamilases fúngicas obtiveram ampla estabilidade de pH (3-8) e foram ativadas por Mn2+. A melhor produção de R. oryzae ocorreu em 96 horas de cultivo e pH 6,5. Suas amilases são mais ativas na faixa de pH de 4,0-5,5 e temperatura entre 50-60ºC. A diferença mais significativa dentre as enzimas produzidas pelos fungos selecionados é a resistência à desnaturação térmica, tendo a glucoamilase de A. brasiliensis um T50 de 60 minutos a 70ºC, já a glucoamilase de R. oryzae somente obteve atividade residual quando incubada a 50°C, com um T50 de apenas 12 minutos.