• Advances in environmental research
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• 제1권2호
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• pp.97-108
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• 2012

Microbial degradation of hydrocarbons is found to be an attractive process for remediation of contaminated habitats. However the poor bioavailability of hydrocarbons results in low biodegradation rates. Cyclodextrins are known to increase the bioavailability of variety of hydrophobic compounds. In the present work we purified the Cyclodextrin Glucanotransferase (CGTase) enzyme which is responsible for converting starch into cyclodextrins and studied its role on biodegradation of diesel oil contaminated soil. Purification of CGTase from Enterobacter cloacae was done which resulted in 6 fold increase in enzyme activity. The enzyme showed maximum activity at pH 7, temperature $60^{\circ}C$ with a molecular weight of 66 kDa. Addition of purified CGTase to the treatment setup with Pseudomonas mendocina showed enhanced biodegradation of diesel oil ($57{\pm}1.37%$) which was similar to the treatment setup when added with Pseudomonas mendocina and Enterobacter cloacae ($52.7{\pm}6.51%$). The residual diesel oil found in treatment setup added with Pseudomonas mendocina at end of the study was found to be $73{\pm}0.21%$. Immobilization of Pseudomonas mendocina on alginate containing starch also led to enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbons in diesel oil at 336 hours.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제48권2호
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• pp.67-77
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• 2024

This study aims to assess the efficacies of exogenous enzymes, derived from invertebrate gut-associated microbes, as feed additives, in reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions using an in vitro pig intestine continuous fermentation system. An in vitro continuous fermentation model was used to simulate a comparable bionic digestion system by co-reacting feed, enzymatic additives (arazyme, mannanase, and xylanase, derived from the gut bacteria of Nephila clavata, Eisenia fetida, and Moechotypa diphysis, respectively), and gastrointestinal microbes, followed by an analysis of their correlations. A significant correlation was observed between exogenous enzyme supplementation and reduced VOC emissions in the fecal phase of continuous fermentation (p < 0.05). The concentration of VOCs decreased by 3.75 and 2.75 ppm in the treatment group following arazyme and multi-enzyme supplementation, respectively, compared to that in the control group (7.83 ppm). In addition, supplementation with arazyme and multiple enzymes significantly affected the microbial composition of each fermentation phase (p < 0.05). In particular, Lactiplantibacillus pentosus and Pediococcus pentosaceus, which changed in abundance according to arazyme or multi-enzyme supplementation, exhibited a positive relationship with VOC emissions. These results suggest that exogenous enzymes derived from invertebrate gut-associated bacteria can be efficiently applied as feed additives, leading to a reduction in VOC emissions.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.58-62
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• 2006

Rapid assay of enzyme is a primary requirement for successful application of directed evolution technology. Halo generation on a turbid plate would be a method of choice for high throughput screening of enzymes in this context. Here we report a new approach to prepare turbid plates, by controlling the crystallization of tyrosine to form needle-like particles. In the presence of tyrosine phenol-lyase (TPL), the needle-like tyrosine crystals were converted to soluble phenol rapidly than the usual rectangular tyrosine crystals. When an error-prone PCR library of Citrobacter freundii TPL was spread on the turbid plate, approximately 10% of the colonies displayed recognizable halos after 24 hours of incubation at $37^{\circ}C$. Representative positives from the turbid plates were transferred to LB-medium in 96-wellplates, cultivated overnight, and assayed for the enzyme activity with L-tyrosine as the substrate. The assay results were approximated to be proportional to the halo size on turbid plates, suggesting the screening system is directly applicable to the directed evolution of TPL. Actually, two best mutants on the turbid plates were identified to be $2{\sim}2.5$ and 1.5-fold improved in the activity.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• 제22권2호
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• pp.264-270
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• 2012

The effect of pectinase on wine production and quality during wine fermentation was investigated in an experiment a laboratory scale (2 kg grape/5 L tank). Experimental results show that the enzyme-treated sample displayed a 13% higher rate of grape juice production compared to control (enzyme-untreated). In the case of color analysis, the addition of pectinase improved the color quality of wine in terms of both color intensity and hue values. The results show that pectinase enhanced both dark-red color and clarity of wine during the fermentation period. Further, the methanol concentration of the wine sample treated with pectinase reached 225.32 mg/L (control: 100.72 mg/L) due to hydrolysis of pectin. Sensory analysis after fermentation showed that pectinase significantly increased the color, smell, taste, and touch intensity scores of wines compared to control.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• 제11권1호
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• pp.123-130
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• 2009

Hyporheic zone is an area where hydraulic exchanges occur between surface water and ground water. Such transient area is anticipated to facilitate diverse biogeochemical reactions by providing habitats for various microorganism. However, only a few data are available about microbial properties in hyporheic zone, which would be important in better understanding of biogeochemical reactions in whole streams. The study site is Naesung stream, located in the north Kyoung-Sang Province, of which sediment is sandy with little anthropogenic impacts. Soil samples were collected from a transect placed perpendicular to stream flow. The transect includes upland fringe area dominated by Phragmites japonica, bare soil, and soil adjacent to water. In addition, soil samples were also collected from downwelling and upwelling areas in hyporheic zone within the main channel. Soils were collected from 3 depth in each area, and water content, pH, and DOC were measured. Various microbial properties including extracellular enzyme activities ($\beta$-glucosidase, N-acetylglucosaminidase, phosphatase and arylsulfatase), and microbial community structure using T-RFLP were also determined. The results exhibited a positive correlation between water content and DOC, and between extracellular enzyme activities and DOC. Distinctive patterns were observed in soils adjacent to water and hyporheic zone compared with other soils. Overall results of study provided basic information about microbial properties of hyporheic zone, which appeared to be discernable from other locations in the stream corridor.

• The Korean Journal of Mycology
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• 제47권3호
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• pp.259-269
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• 2019

Brown spot and sheath rot of rice are caused by fungal pathogens such as Curvularia lunata, Cochliobolus miyabeanus, and Sarocladium oryzae, and cause losses such as reduced rice yield and quality, which is an enormous problem with serious long-term effects. To search biological control agents of phytopathogenic fungi, five kinds of useful Bacillus-like isolates which are excellent in extracellular enzyme activity and produce siderophore were selected from paddy soil of Sunchang in Korea. The selected isolates were tested for excellent antifungal activity against three of the phytopathogenic fungi that frequently occur in rice, and JSRB 177 strain had the most excellent antifungal activity. Based on the experimental results, JSRB 177 is finally selected as a candidate for biological control and identified to Bacillus subtilis through 16S rRNA sequence analysis. In addition, physiological characteristics of JSRB 177 confirmed by analysis of carbohydrate fermentation patterns and enzyme production ability. Based on the above results, JSRB 177 is expected to be used as a biological control agent for the rice pathogenic fungi. In the future, further studies related to industrialization such as port test and establishment of mass production process are needed.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• 제53권6호
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• pp.761-767
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• 2021

Strawberries fermented with Acetobacter pasteurianus SRCM60009 were prepared, and the quality characteristics and physiological activity were measured. As the fermentation period increased, viable cell counts increased, pH decreased, and total acidity increased from 1.09% to 4.20%. The organic acid content of strawberry through acetic acid fermentation was confirmed in the following order: acetic acid, succinic acid, citric acid, and lactic acid. Measurement of α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase inhibitory activities and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitory activity showed significantly increased physiological activity owing to fermentation. The use of strawberry vinegar as a functional material was confirmed by measuring the anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and anti-hypertensive physiological activities through acetic acid fermentation of strawberry. Thus, fermented strawberry vinegar can be used as a functional material in vinegar and other foods.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.405-412
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• 1991

The enzymes were immobilized by treating the microbial cells in 0.05% chitosan and 0.28% glutaraldehyde solution. The activity of immobilized cell was about 535 IGIC/g. Glucose isomerase was purified by 6.5 times after homogenization using 60% $(NH_4)_2S0_4$ fractionation, DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-150 gel filtration. The molecular weight of enzyme was about 140,000 when it was measured by HPLC and the purified enzyme had only one band by electrophoresis. It showed good enzyme activity at pH 7.5 and $75^{\circ}C$. The optimum conditions for enzyme reactions were shifted to pH 7.0 and $80^{\circ}C$ when the enzyme was immobilized. The enzyme reaction was activated by the addition of 5~10 mM magnesium ion and the thermostability was improved by the addition of 0.25 mM cobalt ion. The enzyme activity was competitively inhibited by sugar alcohols.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제14권1호
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• pp.1-7
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• 1971

In order to develop an enzyme preparation for clarification of fruit juices, a microbial strain having a strong pectolytic activity was selected and a crude enzyme preparation from this strain was examined for the effects in the preparation of grape juice and wine. The results are summarized as follows: 1) A strain of Aspergillus niger was selected as having the highest productivity of pectolytic enzymes among many species of Aspergillus and Rhizopus. 2) A pectolytic enzyme preparation was purified from this selected strain and the effects of pH and temperature on its enzyme activity and stability were investigated. 3) The use of the enzyme preparation brought about the increase in the free run yield and clarity of grape juice. 4) Whereas the use of the enzyme preparation did not exhibit any effect in the brewing of red wine, its use showed a good effect on the rates of filtration and clarity in the case of white wine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제9권5호
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• pp.582-588
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• 1999

A Brevibacterium lactofermentum gene coding for a glucose-specific permease of the phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent phosphotransferase system (PTS) was cloned, by complementing an Escherichia coli mutation affecting a ptsG gene with the B. lactofermentum genomic library, and completely sequenced. The gene was identified as a ptsG, which enables an E. coli transformant to transport non-metabolizable glucose analogue 2-deoxyglucose (2DG). The ptsG gene of B. lactofermentum consists of an open reading frame of 2,025 nucleotides encoding a polypeptide of 674 amino acid residues and a TAA stop codon. The 3' flanking region contains two stem-loop structures which may be involved in transcriptional termination. The deduced amino acid sequence of the B. lactofermentum enzyme $II^{GIe}$ specific to glucose ($EII^{GIe}$) has a high homology with the Corynebacterium glutamicum enzyme $II^{Man}$ specific to glucose and mannose ($EII^{Man}$), and the Brevibacterium ammoniagenes enzyme $II^{GIc}$ specific to glucose ($EII^{GIc}$). The 171-amino-acid C-terminal sequence of the $EII^{Glc}$ is also similar to the Escherichia coli enzyme $IIA^{GIc}$ specific to glucose ($IIA^{GIc}$). It is interesting that the arrangement of the structural domains, IIBCA, of the B. lactofermentum $EII^{GIc}$ protein is identical to that of EIIs specific to sucrose or $\beta$-glucoside. Several in vivo complementation studies indicated that the B. lactofermentum $EII^{Glc}$ protein could replace both $EII^{ Glc}$ and $EIIA^{Glc}$ in an E. coli ptsG mutant or crr mutant, respectively.