Isolation,purification and properties of tannase from Aspergillus niger van Tieghem

Tannase (tannin acyl hydrolase E.C. 3.1.1.20) has been isolated from Aspergillus niger van Tieghem and purified 29-fold. The enzyme had a temperature optimum of 60^°C, pH optimum of 6.0 with a second peak at pH 4.5, K_m of 0.20mM and V_max of 5.0mol min^–1 mg^–1protein.     

Preliminary studies on tannin degradation by Aspergillus niger van Tieghem MTCC 2425

A tannin-degrading strain of Aspergillus niger van Tieghem was grown at pH 5·0 and 30°C in a defined medium where tannins were the sole source of carbon and energy. The fungus had variable growth in tannic acid- and quebracho tannin-medium and could tolerate these tannins even up to 150 g⁻¹ without showing any growth inhibition.     

On the Modes of Action of Three Xylanases Produced by a Strain of Aspergillus niger van Tieghem

The modes of action of three xylanases (I, II and III) produced by Aspergillus niger van Tieghem on several substrates were investigated. Xylanase I possesed the strongest activity against xylooligosaccharides among the three enzymes and converted them into xylose and xylobiose. Xylanase II and III catalyzed a glycosylating reaction and produced higher polymerized xylooligosaccharides from xylotetraose or xylopentaose. Among three enzymes, xylanase II could split α1,3-arabinofuranosidic bond of arabinose-xylose mixed oligosaccharides.

In the case of hydrolysis by three xylanases on xylan and arabinoxylan, the maximum hydrolysis degree and the reaction products were compared with each other. From the results, some speculation were made concerning the modes of action of the enzymes.     

Isolation and Characterization of a Xylan-Degrading Enzyme from Aspergillus niger van Tieghem LPM 93 with Potential for Industrial Applications

Aspergillus niger van Tieghem LPM 93 was shown in an earlier study to produce the most thermostable ??-xylanase, which was effective for improving brightness and delignification of non-delignified and oxygen-bleached samples of eucalyptus kraft pulp. Here, we report the production, purification, and characterization of a xylan-degrading enzyme (XynI) from this strain grown in submerged liquid cultivation on medium containing sugar cane bagasse as the carbon source. XynI was isolated by ultrafiltration and gel-filtration chromatography and characterized. The fungus displayed high levels of xylanolytic activity after the second day of cultivation, and this activity remained constant up to the 50th day. The molecular mass of XynI was in the range of 32?C33?kDa as determined by mass spectrometry and SDS-PAGE. The two-dimensional gel electrophoresis analysis showed the existence of multiple forms of ??-xylanases in XynI. XynI showed the highest activity at 50°C and pH?4.5 and was stable in sodium acetate buffer at pH?4.5. The K _m and V _max values were 47.08?mg/ml and 3.02?IU/ml, respectively. Salts inhibited the activity of XynI to different degrees. N-Bromosuccinimide caused marked inhibition of XynI. On the other hand, ??-mercaptoethanol and l-tryptophan were the best enzyme activators.     

Effect of fermentation system on the production and properties of tannase of Aspergillus niger van Tieghem MTCC 2425

The tannase-producing efficiency of liquid-surface fermentation (LSF) and solid-state fermentation (SSF) vis-à-vis submerged fermentation (SmF) was investigated in a strain of Aspergillus niger, besides finding out if there was a change in the activity pattern of tannase in these fermentation processes. The studies on the physicochemical properties were confined to intracellular tannase as only this form of enzyme was produced by A. niger in all three fermentation processes. In LSF and SmF, the maximum production of tannase was observed by 120 h, whereas in SSF its activity peaked at 96 h of growth. SSF had the maximum efficiency of enzyme production. Tannase produced by the SmF, LSF and SSF processes had similar properties except that the one produced during SSF had a broader pH stability of 4.5-6.5 and thermostability of 20 degrees-60 degrees C.     

Synthesis of antioxidant propyl gallate using tannase from Aspergillus niger van Teighem in nonaqueous media

Tannase from Aspergillus niger van Teighem has been used for synthesis of food additive antioxidant propyl gallate by direct transesterification of tannic acid. The optimized yield of 86% was obtained by using simultaneously pH tuned enzyme, immobilized on Celite and using the right amount of water in the non aqueous media.     

Enhancement of inulinase production by Aspergillus niger van Teighem

P. VISWANATHAN AND P.R. KULKARNI. 1995. Aspergillus niger van Teighem, a soil isolate, was mutagenized by u.v. light. A mutant strain with 3 times increased productivity was generated on exposure of the parent strain to u.v. for 15 min. This mutant on further exposure to u.v. yielded second generation mutants with only marginal increase in inulinase productivity with respect to the parent mutant, but the best yield of 377 U ml⁻¹ was considered promising for industrial use.     

Removal of thallium from aqueous solutions by modified Aspergillus niger biomass

The present study involves an investigation of various treated fungal biomasses of Aspergillus niger for the removal of thallium from aqueous solutions. Batch pH and kinetic studies were carried out to examine the effects of pH and contact time on the adsorption process. Among various pH values studied, the optimum pH was found to be between 4 and 5. The equilibrium time for Tl adsorption was found to be 6h and the rate of Tl adsorption was rapid in the initial hours. Both Lagergren's pseudo first-order model and Ho's pseudo second-order model well described the reaction kinetics. Batch adsorption experiments conducted at room temperature (22+/-1 degrees C) showed that the adsorption pattern followed the Freundlich isotherm model. Column studies using iron oxide-coated immobilized fungal biomass showed lower adsorption capacities compared to batch studies.     

Removal of heavy metals from contaminated sewage sludge using Aspergillus niger fermented raw liquid from pineapple wastes

The environmental benefits derived from using citric acid in the removal of heavy metals from contaminated sewage sludge have made it promising as an extracting agent in the chemical extraction process. At present, citric acid is produced commercially by fermentation of sucrose using mutant strains of Aspergillus niger (A. niger), and chemical synthesis. In recent years, various carbohydrates and wastes (such as pineapple wastes) have been considered experimentally, to produce citric acid by A. niger. This study investigated the potential of using A. niger fermented raw liquid from pineapple wastes as a source of citric acid, in extracting chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) from anaerobically digested sewage sludge. Results of the study revealed that metal removal efficiencies varied with pH, forms of metals in sludge and contact time. At pH approaching 4, and contact time of 11 days, A. niger fermented liquid seemed to remove all Cr and Zn while removing 94% of Ni. Moreover, chemical speciation studies revealed that metals which are predominantly in the exchangeable and oxidizable phases seemed to exhibit ease of leachability (e.g., Zn). The by-products of the process such as pineapple pulp and mycelium which are rich in protein, can still be used as animal feed. It can be said therefore that this novel process provides a sustainable way of managing contaminated sewage sludge.     

Removal of aluminium from aqueous solution by four wild-type strains of Aspergillus niger

This paper provides a unique comparison of the performance of four wild-type Aspergillus niger strains in remediation of aluminium(III)-contaminated aqueous solutions. The direct fungal aluminium removal via biosorption and bioaccumulation was compared among all fungal strains, including bioaccumulation efficiency during dynamic and static cultivation. Our results indicate that aluminium bioaccumulation by living biomass outperformed biosorption, although biosorption by non-living biomass is a less time-demanding process. Among others, only one strain significantly differed regarding comparison of dynamic and static bioaccumulation. In this case, a significantly higher removal performance was achieved under dynamic cultivation conditions at initial aluminium(III) concentrations over 2.5 mg L⁻¹. Although the fungal sensitivity towards aluminium(III) differed among selected fungal strains, there was no apparent correlation between the strains’ removal performance and their adaptive mechanisms.

     

Removal of Hexavalent Chromium by Aspergillus niger Through Reduction and Accumulation

Abstract

Industrial activities discharge a large amount of wastes containing hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] into the environment, which poses a threat to human health. Microorganisms can be used as efficient tools for Cr(VI) remediation. In this study, the Cr(VI) removal capacity of Aspergillus niger was evaluated. A. niger could tolerate and reduce Cr(VI) by nearly 100% at concentrations ranging from 10 to 50?mg/L. Overall, almost 97% of the Cr(VI) removal was caused by extracellular reduction whereas 3% was caused by accumulation. Extracellular reduction was mediated by non-enzymatic cell secretions, whereas extracellular accumulated Cr formed precipitates on the hyphal surfaces and was partially absorbed on the cell wall. Cr(VI) also entered the cell and was reduced by the strong chromate reductase activity in cell-free extracts and then accumulated within the cell. These data suggest that A. niger, which has the capacity to remove Cr(VI) by reduction and accumulation, can be a useful tool for Cr(VI) remediation.     

Citric acid production in chemically defined media by Aspergillus niger

Summary The effect of changing the composition of a chemically defined medium on citric acid production by Aspergillus niger was investigated. High and reproducible amounts of citric acid were obtained with deionized commercial sugar solutions, proper phosphate concentrations, low initial pH values and suitable amounts of copper as growth inhibiting agent.Comparison of high and low yielding process parameters showed that under high yielding conditions, (deionized sugar, Cu⁺⁺ addition) besides more citric acid, less mycelium and less mycelial lipids were formed; the consumption of sugar, nitrogen and phosphorus was related to the amount of biomass.Partly presented at the XII. International Congress of Microbiology; München, September 3–8, 1978     

Oxalate accumulation from citrate by Aspergillus niger

Carbon-14 was incorporated from citrate-1,5-¹⁴C, glyoxylate-¹⁴C(U), or glyoxylate-1-¹⁴C into oxalate by cultures of Aspergillus niger pregrown on a medium with glucose as the sole source of carbon. Glyoxylate-¹⁴C(U) was superior to glyoxylate-1-¹⁴C and citrate-1,5-¹⁴C as a source of incorporation. By addition of a great amount of citrate the accumulation of oxalate was accelerated and its maximum yield increased. In a cell-free extract from mycelium forming oxalate from citrate the enzyme oxaloacetate hydrolase (EC 3.7.1.1) was identified. Its in vitro activity per flask exceeded the rate of in vivo accumulation of oxalate. Glyoxylate oxidizing enzymes (glycolate oxidase, EC 1.1.3.1; glyoxylate oxidase, EC 1.2.3.5; NAD(P)-dependent glyoxylate dehydrogenase; glyoxylate dehydrogenase, CoA-oxalylating, EC 1.2.1.17) could not be detected in cell-free extracts. It is concluded that in cultures accumulating oxalate from citrate after pregrowth on glucose, oxalate arises by hydrolytic cleavage of oxaloacetate but not by oxidation of glyoxylate.Abbreviations Used DCPIP 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol     

Biodegradation of hexadecane in liquid and solid-state fermentations by Aspergillus niger

The biodegradation and mineralisation of hexadecane (HXD) by Aspergillus niger were studied in SmF and Solid-state fermentation (SSF). HXD concentrations ranging from 45 to 180 g/l (SSF) and from 20 to 80 g/l (SmF) were tested. HXD consumption was three times higher and fungal growth was up to 30 times faster in SSF than in SmF. The maximum HXD consumption in SmF was 62% (18% mineralised) and in SSF 100% (52% mineralised) for initial HXD concentrations of 20 and 45 g/l, respectively. The respiratory quotient in SmF increased (from 0.85 to 1.08) with increase in HXD concentration, while it was independent (approximately 0.68) of the initial HXD concentration in SSF. These results showed that the consumption rate and biodegradation efficiency for HXD were higher in SSF than in SmF.