Optimization of lactobionic acid production by Acetobacter orientalis isolated from Caucasian fermented milk, "Caspian Sea yogurt"

We have reported that lactobionic acid is produced from lactose by Acetobacter orientalis in traditional Caucasian fermented milk. To maximize the application of lactobionic acid, we investigated favorable conditions for the preparation of resting A. orientalis cells and lactose oxidation. The resting cells, prepared under the most favorable conditions, effectively oxidized 2-10% lactose at 97.2 to 99.7 mol % yield.     

Production of lactose-free galacto-oligosaccharide mixtures: comparison of two cellobiose dehydrogenases for the selective oxidation of lactose to lactobionic acid

Galacto-oligosaccharides, complex mixtures of various sugars, are produced by transgalactosylation from lactose using beta-galactosidase and are of great interest for food and feed applications because of their prebiotic properties. Most galacto-oligosaccharide preparations currently available in the market contain a significant amount of monosaccharides and lactose. The mixture of galacto-oligosaccharides (GalOS) in this study produced from lactose using recombinant beta-galactosidase from Lactobacillus reuteri contains 48% monosaccharides, 26.5% lactose and 25.5% GalOS. To remove efficiently both monosaccharides and lactose from this GalOS mixture containing significant amounts of prebiotic non-lactose disaccharides, a biocatalytic approach coupled with subsequent chromatographic steps was used. Lactose was first oxidised to lactobionic acid using fungal cellobiose dehydrogenases, and then lactobionic acid and monosaccharides were removed by ion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Two different cellobiose dehydrogenases (CDH), originating from Sclerotium rolfsii and Myriococcum thermophilum, were compared with respect to their applicability for this process. CDH from S. rolfsii showed higher specificity for the substrate lactose, and only few other components of the GalOS mixture were oxidised during prolonged incubation. Since these sugars were only converted once lactose oxidation was almost complete, careful control of the CDH-catalysed reaction will significantly reduce the undesired oxidation, and hence subsequent removal, of any GalOS components. Removal of ions and monosaccharides by the chromatographic steps gave an essentially pure GalOS product, containing less than 0.3% lactose and monosaccharides, in a yield of 60.3%.     

Bubble-free oxygenation of a bi-enzymatic system: effect on biocatalyst stability

The effect of bubble-free oxygenation on the stability of a bi-enzymatic system with redox mediator regeneration for the conversion of lactose to lactobionic acid was investigated in a miniaturized reactor with bubbleless oxygenation. Earlier investigations of this biocatalytic oxidation have shown that the dispersive addition of oxygen can cause significant enzyme inactivation. In the process studied, the enzyme cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH) oxidizes lactose at the C-1 position of the reducing sugar moiety to lactobionolactone, which spontaneously hydrolyzes to lactobionic acid. 2,2'-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt was used as electron acceptor for CDH and was continuously regenerated (reoxidized) by laccase, a blue multi-copper oxidase. Oxygen served as the terminal electron acceptor of the reaction and was fully reduced to water by laccase. The overall mass transfer coefficient of the miniaturized reactor was determined at 30 and 45 degrees C; conversions were conducted both in the reaction-limited and diffusion-limited regime to study catalyst inactivation. The bubbleless oxygenation was successful in avoiding gas/liquid interface inactivation. It was also shown that the oxidized redox mediator plays a key role in the inactivation mechanism of the biocatalysts unobserved during previous studies.     

Characterization of alkaliphilic laccase activity in the culture supernatant of Myrothecium verrucaria 24G-4 in comparison with bilirubin oxidase

An enzyme showing alkaliphilic laccase activity was purified from the culture supernatant of Myrothecium verrucaria 24G-4. The enzyme was highly stable under alkaline conditions, showed an optimum reaction pH of 9.0 for 4-aminoantipyrine/phenol coupling, and decolorized synthetic dyes under alkaline conditions. It showed structural and catalytic similarities with bilirubin oxidase, but preferably oxidized phenolic compounds. The enzyme catalyzed veratryl alcohol oxidation at pH 9.0 with 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) as a mediator, suggesting that the laccase mediator system functioned well under alkaline conditions.     

Lactobionic and cellobionic acid production profiles of the resting cells of acetic acid bacteria

Lactobionic acid was produced by acetic acid bacteria to oxidize lactose. Gluconobacter spp. and Gluconacetobacter spp. showed higher lactose-oxidizing activities than Acetobacter spp. Gluconobacter frateurii NBRC3285 produced the highest amount of lactobionic acid per cell, among the strains tested. This bacterium assimilated neither lactose nor lactobionic acid. At high lactose concentration (30%), resting cells of the bacterium showed sufficient oxidizing activity for efficient production of lactobionic acid. These properties may contribute to industrial production of lactobionic acid by the bacterium. The bacterium showed higher oxidizing activity on cellobiose than that on lactose and produced cellobionic acid.     

Oxidation of lactose with bromine

Oxidation of lactose by bromine in an aqueous buffered solution was conducted as a model experiment to examine the glycosidic linkage cleavage occurring during the oxidation of oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. The resulting oxidation products, after reduction with sodium borodeuteride, were characterized by GLC-MS analyses of the per-O-methyl or per-O-Me3Si derivatives. Most of the products were carboxylic acids, of which lactobionic acid was major. Minor products, identified after partial fractionation on a BioGel P-2 column, comprised oxalic acid; glyceric acid; threonic and erythronic acids; tartaric acid; lyxonic, arabinonic, and xylonic acids; galactonic and gluconic acids; galactosylerythronic acid; galactosylarabinonic acid; galactosylarabinaric acid; galacturonosylarabinonic acid; and galactosylglucaric acid. No keto acids were identified. Galactose was detected as 1-deuteriogalactitol, the presence of which, together with the C6 aldonic acids, supported a galactosidic bond cleavage. Galactosylarabinonic acid was the major constituent (7.5%) among minors, and others constituted 0.2-3.7% of the principal lactobionic acid. These products together comprised 29% of the lactobionic acid, more than half (17%) of which were accounted for by the galactosidic linkage cleavage, supporting the significant decrease in molecular weight seen earlier in the bromine-oxidized polysaccharides by glycosidic cleavage.     

Continuous enzymatic production of lactobionic acid using glucose-fructose oxidoreductase in an ultrafiltration membrane reactor

Glucose-fructose oxidoreductase from Zymomonas mobilis catalyzed the oxidation of various aldose sugars to the corresponding aldonic acids. The enzyme was used for the selective and high-yield conversion of lactose to lactobionic acid in batch, fed-batch and continous reaction mode. A productivity of 110 g L d was obtained in an ultrafiltration membrane reactor, operated for 70 h.     

An X-ray diffraction analysis of crystallised whey and whey-permeate powders

Amorphous whey, whey-permeate and lactose powders have been crystallised at various air temperatures and humidities, and these crystallised powders have been examined using X-ray diffraction. The most stable lactose crystal under normal storage conditions, alpha-lactose monohydrate, forms preferentially in whey and whey-permeate powders at 50 degrees C, provided sufficient moisture is available, whereas anhydrous beta-lactose and mixed anhydrous lactose crystals, which are unstable under normal storage conditions, form preferentially at 90 degrees C. Thus, faster crystallisation at higher temperatures is offset by the formation of lactose-crystal forms that are less stable under normal storage conditions. Very little alpha-lactose monohydrate crystallised in the pure lactose powders over the range of temperatures and humidities tested, because the crystallisation of alpha- and beta-lactose is considerably more rapid than the mutarotation of beta- to alpha-lactose in the amorphous phase and the hydration of alpha-lactose during crystallisation. Protein and salts hinder the crystallisation process, which provides more time for mutarotation and crystal hydration in the whey and whey-permeate powders.     

Production of lactobionic acid from whey by Pseudomonas sp. LS13-1

Pseudomonas sp. LS13-1 was isolated as a producer of lactobionic acid from whey and when grown with 207 g whey l^-1 (150 g lactose l^-1 equivalent) and three intermittent additions of 69 g whey l^-1 (50 g lactose l^-1 equivalent) in a fed-batch culture at pH 5.5 in a 2-l jar fermenter, it produced 175 g lactobionic acid l^-1 after 180 h. In a lactose medium it produced 240 lactobionic acid l^-1 from a total of 300 g lactose l^-1 after 155 h. With the addition of 20 CaCO₃ l^-1 instead of pH control, 290 g lactobionic acid l^-1 was produced in the lactose medium after 155 h with a yield of higher than 90% (mon mol^-1).     

Oxidation of lactose to lactobionic acid by a Microdochium nivale carbohydrate oxidase: kinetics and operational stability

Oxidation of lactose to lactobionic acid by a Microdochium nivale carbohydrate oxidase was studied. The K(m)-value for lactose, obtained by a traditional enzymatic assay, was 0.066 mM at pH 6.4 and 38 degrees C. The effect of oxygen on the enzymatic rate of reaction as well as the operational stability of the enzyme was studied by performing reactions at constant pH and temperature in a stirred tank reactor. Catalase was included in all reactions to avoid inhibition and deactivation of the oxidase by hydrogen peroxide. At pH 6.4 and 38 degrees C, K(m) for oxygen was 0.97 mM, while the catalytical rate constant, k(cat), was 94 s(-1). Furthermore, we found that the operational stability of the oxidase was dependent on the type of base used for neutralization of the acid produced. Thus, when 2 M NaOH was used for neutralization of a reaction medium containing 50 mM phosphate buffer, significant deactivation of the oxidase was observed. Also, we found that the oxidase was protected against deactivation by base at high lactose concentrations. A simple model is proposed to explain the obtained results.     

Scale-up of enzymatic production of lactobionic acid using the rotary jet head system

Enzymatic oxidation of lactose to lactobionic acid (LBA) by a carbohydrate oxidase from Microdochium nivale was studied in a pilot-scale batch reactor of 600 L working volume using a rotary jet head (RJH) for mixing and mass transfer (Nordkvist et al., 2003, Chem Eng Sci 58:3877-3890). Both lactose and whey permeate were used as substrate, air was used as oxygen source, and catalase was added to eliminate the byproduct hydrogen peroxide. More than 98% conversion to LBA was achieved. Neither enzyme deactivation nor enzyme inhibition was observed under the experimental conditions. The dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) was constant throughout the tank for a given set of operating conditions, indicating that liquid mixing was sufficiently good to avoid oxygen gradients in the tank. However, at a given oxygen tension measured in the tank, the specific rate of reaction found in the RJH system was somewhat higher than previously obtained in a 1 L mechanically stirred tank reactor (Nordkvist et al., 2007, in this issue, pp. 694-707). This can be ascribed to a higher pressure in the recirculation loop which is part of the RJH system. Compared to mechanically stirred systems, high values of the volumetric mass transfer coefficient, k(L)a, were obtained when lactose was used as substrate, especially at low values of the specific power input and the superficial gas velocity. k(L)a was lower for experiments with whey permeate than with lactose due to addition of antifoam. The importance of mass transfer and of the saturation concentration of oxygen on the volumetric rate of reaction was demonstrated by simulations.     

Production of lactobionic acid and sorbitol from lactose/fructose substrate using GFOR/GL enzymes from Zymomonas mobilis cells: a kinetic study

In this work, we have investigated the kinetics of the biotechnological production of lactobionic acid (LBA) and sorbitol by the catalytic action of glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR) and glucono-δ-lactonase (GL) enzymes. The cells of bacterium Zymomonas mobilis ATCC 29191 containing this enzymatic complex were submitted to permeabilization and reticulation procedures. The effect of the concentration of substrates on the rate of product formation using a mobilized cell system was investigated. The application of higher fructose concentration seems to not affect the initial rate of formation of the bionic acid. Under conditions of low initial concentration of lactose, the experimental kinetic data of the bi-substrate reaction were modelled by assuming a rate equation of the classical ping-pong mechanism. The found kinetic parameters displayed a low affinity of the GFOR enzyme for both substrates. The enzymatic system did not exhibit normal Michaelis-Menten kinetics in response to a change of concentration of lactose, when fructose was held constant, presenting a sigmoid relationship between initial velocity and substrate concentration. A rate equation based on Hill kinetics was used to describe the kinetic behaviour of this enzyme-substituted reaction at higher lactose concentrations. The results from batch experiments using immobilized cells within Ca-alginate beads revealed that there is no pronounced occurrence of mass transfer limitations on LBA production for beads with 1.2 mm in average diameter. This discussion aids for defining the best operating conditions to maximize the productivity for LBA and sorbitol in this bioconversion and also for reducing the complexity of downstream separation processes.     

Bacterial and fungal oxidation of dibenzofuran.

Cunninghamella elegans and a mutant strain (B8/36) of Beijerinckia both oxidized dibenzofuran to 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrodibenzofuran. The bacterial metabolite was extremely unstable and, in the presence of acid, was rapidly converted into a mixture of 2- and 3-hydroxydibenzofuran. In contrast, the 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrodibenzofuran formed by C. elegans was stable and only yielded 2- and 3-hydroxydibenzofuran when heated under acidic conditions. The results suggest that Beijerinckia B8/36 and C. elegans form the respective cis- and trans-isomers of 2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrodibenzofuran. C. elegans also oxidized dibenzofuran to 2- and 3-hydroxydibenzofuran under conditions that would not lead to the dehydration of the trans-dihydrodiol. These observations implicate the initial formation of dibenzofuran- 2,3-epoxide in the fungal oxidation of dibenzofuran. Beijerinckia B8/36 also produced a second unstable dihydrodiol that was tentatively identified as cis-1,2-dihydroxy-1,2-dihydrodibenzofuran. This compound gave 2-hydroxydibenzofuran as the major dehydration product and the cis relative stereochemistry was suggested by the isolation and characterization of an isopropylidine derivative. A preparation of cis-naphthalene dihydrodiol dehydrogenase and cell extracts of the parent strain of Beijerinckia oxidized both bacterial dihydrodiols to catechols. Cell extracts prepared from C. elegans catalysed an analogous oxidation of trans-2,3-dihydroxy-2,3-dihydrodibenzofuran to 2,3-dihydroxydibenzofuran. The latter product was also isolated and identified from culture filtrates. The results suggest that bacteria and fungi utilize different mechanisms to initiate the oxidation of dibenzofuran.     

TEMPO-mediated oxidation of maltodextrins and D-glucose: effect of pH on the selectivity and sequestering ability of the resulting polycarboxylates

Maltodextrins were oxidized to polyglucuronic acids with the ternary oxidation system: NaOCl-NaBr-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-l-oxyl (TEMPO). The chemoselective oxidation at the primary alcohol groups was shown to be strongly pH dependent. Oxidation of polysaccharides was best achieved at pH 9.5 in order to minimize depolymerization, whereas oxidation of oligosaccharides required stronger alkaline conditions (pH 11-11.5). The resulting sodium polyglucuronates present interesting sequestering properties, the best of which being obtained from maltodextrins with the highest degrees of polymerization. The same oxidation process allowed the convenient conversion of D-glucose to D-glucaric acid in high yield (> 90%), under strongly basic conditions (pH > 11.5).     

Bio-production of lactobionic acid: Current status,applications and future prospects

Lactobionic acid has appeared on the commercial scene as a versatile polyhydroxy acid with numerous promising applications in the food, medicine, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and chemical industries. This high value-added bio-product has recently received growing attention as a bioactive compound, providing an excellent chemical platform for the synthesis of novel potentially biocompatible and biodegradable drug delivery vehicles. Recent advances in tissue engineering and nanomedicine have also underlined the increased importance of this organic acid as a key biofunctionalization agent. The growing commercial relevance of lactobionic acid has therefore prompted the development of novel systems for its biotechnological production that are both sustainable and efficient. The present review explores recent advances and studies related to lactobionic acid bio-production, whether through microbial or enzymatic approaches, highlighting the key bioprocessing conditions for enhanced bio-production. Detailed overviews of the current microbial cell factories as well as downstream processing methodologies for lactobionic acid production are also presented. Furthermore, the potential prospects and current applications of this polyhydroxy acid are also discussed, with an emphasis on the role of lactobionic acid as a key platform in the development of novel drugs, biomaterials, nanoparticles and biopolymer systems.     

Isolation and characterization of a cellobiose dehydrogenase formed by a asporogenic mycelial fungus INBI 2-26(-)

A nonsporulating fungus isolated from dioxine-containing tropical soils forms cellobiose dehydrogenase, when grown in media supplemented by a source of cellulose. The enzyme purified to homogeneity by SDS-PAGE (yield, 43%) had an M(r) of 95 kDa; its pH optimum was in the range 5.5-7.0; more than 50% activity was retained at pH 4.0-8.0 (citrate-phosphate buffer). The absorption spectrum of the enzyme in the visible range had the characteristic appearance of flavocytochrome proteins. Cellobiose dehydrogenase oxidized cellobiose and lactose (the respective K(M) values at pH 6.0 equaled 4.5 +/- 1.5 and 56 microM) in the presence of dichlorophenolindophenol (K(M) app = 15 +/- 3 microM at pH 6.0) taken as an electron acceptor. Other sugars were barely if at all oxidized by the enzyme. Neither ethyl-beta-D-cellobioside, heptobiose, nor chitotriose inhibited the enzymatic oxidation of lactose, even under the conditions of 100-fold molar excess. The enzyme was weakly inhibited by sodium azide dichlorophenolindophenol reduction and exhibited affinity to amorphous cellulose. At 55 degrees C and pH 6.0 (optimum stability), time to half-maximum inactivation equaled 99 min. The enzyme reduced by cellobiose was more stable than the nonreduced form. Conversely, the presence of an oxidizer (dichlorophenolindophenol) decreased the stability eight times at pH 6.0. In addition, the enzyme acted as a potent reducer of the single-electron acceptor cytochrome c3+ (K(M) app = 15 microM at pH 6.0).     

Modification of glycophorin A during oxidation of erythrocyte membrane

Human erythrocyte ghosts were oxidized with tert-butyl hydroperoxide and subsequently treated with tritiated borohydride to label the membrane proteins modified during the membrane oxidation. From the ghosts, oxidized-and-tritiated glycophorin A was isolated and characterized. No intermolecular cross-links were observed as analyzed by sodium dodecylsulfate gel electrophoresis. But, the number of lysine residues was significantly reduced and susceptibility to proteinases such as trypsin, chymotrypsin and pronase was lower than that of control glycophorin A. Trypsinization of the oxidized-and-tritiated glycophorin A gave insoluble and soluble trypsin fragments. After dansylation, N-terminal amino acids of the trypsin-fragments were determined. Dansyl amino acids from the insoluble trypsin fragments were not identical with those from control insoluble counterparts in the membrane-spanning region of glycophorin A molecule. Fractionation by gel filtration of dansyl-soluble trypsin fragments, and the N-terminal amino acid analysis of the fractionated peptides indicated that the peptides derived from the glycosylated region located in the outside of the membrane matrix were identical with those from control soluble counterparts. The results suggest that the glycosylated outside region of glycophorin A was modified only slightly but the hydrophobic membrane-spanning region was extensively modified during membrane oxidation, most likely by oxidized lipids.     

乳酸菌治疗乳糖不耐受症的研究进展

乳糖不耐受与人体健康尤其是婴儿期的营养密切相关,该病症主要影响人体对乳糖的消化吸收。乳酸菌作为有效的微生态制剂,已被广泛应用于医药卫生、营养保健、食品工业等领域。近年研究发现,含乳酸菌的微生态制剂在治疗乳糖不耐受症方面具有明显疗效。本文综述了乳糖不耐受症的发病机制及分型、乳酸菌治疗乳糖不耐受症的研究进展。     

Oxidation of LDL by rabbit and human 15-lipoxygenase: prevalence of nonenzymatic reactions.

15-Lipoxygenase (15-LO)-induced oxidation of lipids in human LDL may be pro-atherogenic. However, the extent to which 15-LO promotes enzymatic oxidation of esterified (i.e., major) lipids in LDL may depend on various factors. Here, we show that overall, LDL lipid oxidation was favored with high activity of human 15-LO, that phospholipids were the preferred esterified substrate, and that low temperature maintained a higher proportion of enzymatic product. However, under all conditions, 15-LO induced alpha-tocopherol consumption and the accumulation of nonenzymatic products that predominated with increasing time of incubation and inactivation of the enzyme. Lysates prepared from cells overexpressing human 15-LO oxidized linoleic acid readily and in an almost exclusive enzymatic manner. In sharp contrast, such lysates failed to oxidize LDL lipids unless linoleic acid was added, in which case nonenzymatic oxidation of LDL lipids occurred.We conclude that although purified 15-LO can oxidize isolated LDL lipids in vitro, such oxygenation always includes nonenzymatic reactions that likely play a major role in the more extensive oxidation of LDL by cell-derived 15-LO.     

Production of organic acids by periplasmic enzymes present in free and immobilized cells of Zymomonas mobilis

In this work the periplasmic enzymatic complex glucose-fructose oxidoreductase (GFOR)/glucono-δ-lactonase (GL) of permeabilized free or immobilized cells of Zymomonas mobilis was evaluated for the bioconversion of mixtures of fructose and different aldoses into organic acids. For all tested pairs of substrates with permeabilized free-cells, the best enzymatic activities were obtained in reactions with pH around 6.4 and temperatures ranging from 39 to 45 °C. Decreasing enzyme/substrate affinities were observed when fructose was in the mixture with glucose, maltose, galactose, and lactose, in this order. In bioconversion runs with 0.7 mol l^?1 of fructose and with aldose, with permeabilized free-cells of Z. mobilis, maximal concentrations of the respective aldonic acids of 0.64, 0.57, 0.51, and 0.51 mol l^?1 were achieved, with conversion yields of 95, 88, 78, and 78 %, respectively. Due to the important applications of lactobionic acid, the formation of this substance by the enzymatic GFOR/GL complex in Ca-alginate-immobilized cells was assessed. The highest GFOR/GL activities were found at pH 7.0–8.0 and temperatures of 47–50 °C. However, when a 24 h bioconversion run was carried out, it was observed that a combination of pH 6.4 and temperature of 47 °C led to the best results. In this case, despite the fact that Ca-alginate acts as a barrier for the diffusion of substrates and products, maximal lactobionic acid concentration, conversion yields and specific productivity similar to those obtained with permeabilized free-cells were achieved.