Open AccessFungal phytases: from genes to applications
Author(s) -
Thamy Lívia Ribeiro Corrêa,
Elza Fernandes de Araújo
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
brazilian journal of microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1678-4405
pISSN - 1517-8382
DOI - 10.1007/s42770-020-00289-y
Subject(s) - phytase , phytic acid , aspergillus niger , biochemistry , chemistry , food science , enzyme , starch , industrial microbiology , animal feed , biology , fermentation
Phytic acid stores 60-90% of the inorganic phosphorus in legumes, oil seeds, and cereals, making it inaccessible for metabolic processes in living systems. In addition, given its negative charge, phytic acid complexes with divalent cations, starch, and proteins. Inorganic phosphorous can be released from phytic acid upon the action of phytases. Phytases are phosphatases produced by animals, plants, and microorganisms, notably Aspergillus niger, and are employed as animal feed additive, in chemical industry and for ethanol production. Given the industrial relevance of phytases produced by filamentous fungi, this work discusses the functional characterization of fungal phytase-coding genes/proteins, highlighting the physicochemical parameters that govern the enzymatic activity, the development of phytase super-producing strains, and key features for industrial applications.