Biotechnological production and applications of phytases

Abstract

Phytases decompose phytate, which is the primary storage form of phosphate in plants. More than 10 years ago, the first commercial phytase product became available on the market. It offered to help farmers reduce phosphorus excretion of monogastric animals by replacing inorganic phosphates by microbial phytase in the animal diet. Phytase application can reduce phosphorus excretion by up to 50%, a feat that would contribute significantly toward environmental protection. Furthermore, phytase supplementation leads to improved availability of minerals and trace elements. In addition to its major application in animal nutrition, phytase is also used for processing of human food. Research in this field focuses on better mineral absorption and technical improvement of food processing. All commercial phytase preparations contain microbial enzymes produced by fermentation. A wide variety of phytases were discovered and characterized in the last 10 years. Initial steps to produce phytase in transgenic plants were also undertaken. A crucial role for its commercial success relates to the formulation of the enzyme solution delivered from fermentation. For liquid enzyme products, a long shelf life is achieved by the addition of stabilizing agents. More comfortable for many customers is the use of dry enzyme preparations. Different formulation technologies are used to produce enzyme powders that retain enzyme activity, are stable in application, resistant against high temperatures, dust-free, and easy to handle.

Phytate Solubilizing Microorganisms and Enzyme Phytase to Combat Nutritional Problems in Cereal-Based Foods

“…Several fungal isolates from grains and other plant sources have been isolated and screened as phytase producers. Due to their easy cultivation and high production of extracellular enzymes, filamentous fungi are one of best sources of phytase for use in the feed industry [32].…”

Gel Electrophoresis for Investigating Enzymes with Biotechnological Application

“…Swine and poultry feed needs the addition of phytase, a phosphatase that acts on acid or alkaline media and dephosphorylates phytic acid releasing phosphorus to the environment (Haefner et al, 2005). That can damage the environments where the soil contains plenty of phosphate, as it is observed in Europe.…”

Optimized production of phytase by solid-state fermentation using triticale as substrate and source of inducer

“…In recent times, SSF has been used with great success in the production of a large number of metabolites of interest, including antibiotics, surfactants, organic acids, aromatic compounds, pesticides and many enzymes. In this process, the incorporation of agroindustrial wastes mainly as substrates which are beneficial, is needed for the production of metabolites of interest, and is accessible at no cost (Bhavsar et al, 2010;Díaz et al, 2007;Haefner et al, 2005;Pandey et al, 2001).…”

“…When used as a supplement, it has been shown to reduce the Pi in manure by about 33%, which ensures a third less environmental pollution and improvement of animal nutrition. The main limitation to the use of this enzyme with high nutritional and environmental interest is the high market price and, in some cases, lower levels of production (Haefner et al, 2005;Romero et al, 2009). …”