Biodegradation of Capsaicin by Bacillus licheniformis SK1230

Capsaicin is a major representative component in pepper and it has gained interest by its health beneficial effects. An enzymatic hydrolysate of capsaicin has also been of great interest, because it can be applied to the reduction pungency of pepper or production of natural flavor. We first developed a simple screening method to isolate capsaicin-degrading bacteria showing a clear zone. A cloudy solid medium was prepared by the addition of capsaicin as sole carbon and nitrogen sources to 3-(Nmorpholino) propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) minimal medium, and the bacteria showing clear zone around the colony was isolated from Korean traditional pickled pepper. The isolated strain was identified as Bacillus licheniformis using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. B. licheniformis SK1230 was able to utilize capsaicin for both of carbon and nitrogen sources for its growth. The hydrolysis of capsaicin by B. licheniformis was verified using high-performance liquid chromatography, and capsaicin in medium was depleted depending on culture time. Capsaicin hydrolysate was composed of vanillylamine and capsiate (8-methyl-6-trans-nonenoic acid).