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Enrichment, isolation and characterization of fungi tolerant to 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate
Author(s) -
Singer S.W.,
Reddy A.P.,
Gladden J.M.,
Guo H.,
Hazen T.C.,
Simmons B.A.,
VanderGheynst J.S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of applied microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.889
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1365-2672
pISSN - 1364-5072
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2672.2011.04959.x
Subject(s) - ionic liquid , lignocellulosic biomass , biomass (ecology) , aspergillus , aspergillus fumigatus , chemistry , ethyl acetate , fermentation , enzyme , food science , microbiology and biotechnology , organic chemistry , biology , catalysis , agronomy
Aims: This work aimed to characterize microbial tolerance to 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium acetate ([C2mim][OAc]), an ionic liquid that has emerged as a novel biomass pretreatment for lignocellulosic biomass. Methods and Results: Enrichment experiments performed using inocula treated with [C2mim][OAc] under solid and liquid cultivation yielded fungal populations dominated by Aspergilli . Ionic liquid‐tolerant Aspergillus isolates from these enrichments were capable of growing in a radial plate growth assay in the presence of 10% [C2mim][OAc]. When a [C2mim][OAc]‐tolerant Aspergillus fumigatus strain was grown in the presence of switchgrass, endoglucanases and xylanases were secreted that retained residual enzymatic activity in the presence of 20% [C2mim][OAc]. Conclusions: The results of the study suggest that tolerance to ionic liquids is a general property of the Aspergilli . Significance and Impact of the Study: Tolerance to an industrially important ionic liquid was discovered in a fungal genera that is widely used in biotechnology, including biomass deconstruction.