Zwane, Eunice N.Van Zyl, Petrus J.Duodu, Kwaku GyebiRose, Shaunita H.Rumbold, KarlVan Zyl, Willem H.Viljoen-Bloom, Marinda2017-03-062017-03Zwane, E.N., Van Zyl, P.J., Duodu, K.G., Rose, S.H., Rumbold, K., van Zyl, W.H. & Viljoen-Bloom, M. Enrichment of maize and triticale bran with recombinant Aspergillus tubingensis ferulic acid esterase. Journal of Food Science and Technology (2017) 54: 778-785. doi:10.1007/s13197-017-2521-z.0022-1155 (print)0975-8402 (online)10.1007/s13197-017-2521-zhttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/59272Ferulic acid is a natural antioxidant found in various plants and serves as a precursor for various fine chemicals, including the flavouring agent vanillin. However, expensive extraction methods have limited the commercial application of ferulic acid, in particular for the enrichment of food substrates. A recombinant Aspergillus tubingensis ferulic acid esterase Type A (FAEA) was expressed in Aspergillus niger D15#26 and purified with anion-exchange chromatography (3487 U/mg, Km = 0.43 mM, Kcat = 0.48/min on methyl ferulate). The 36-kDa AtFAEA protein showed maximum ferulic acid esterase activity at 50 C and pH 6, suggesting potential application in industrial processes. A crude AtFAEA preparation extracted 26.56 and 8.86 mg/g ferulic acid from maize bran and triticale bran, respectively, and also significantly increased the levels of p-coumaric and caffeic acid from triticale bran. The cost-effective production of AtFAEA could therefore allow for the enrichment of brans generally used as food and fodder, or for the production of fine chemicals (such as ferulic and p-coumaric acid) from plant substrates. The potential for larger-scale production of AtFAEA was demonstrated with the A. niger D15[AtfaeA] strain yielding a higher enzyme activity (185.14 vs.83.48 U/ml) and volumetric productivity (3.86 vs. 1.74 U/ml/h) in fed-batch than batch fermentation.en© Association of Food Scientists & Technologists (India) 2017. The original publication is available at : http://link.springer.com/journal/13197.Aspergillus nigerAspergillus tubingensisTriticaleMaizeFerulic acid esterase Type A (FAEA)Postprint Article