Production of fructosyl transferase by Aspergillus oryzae CFR 202 in solid-state fermentation using agricultural by-products

Fructosyl transferase (FTase) production by Aspergillus oryzae CFR 202 was carried out by solid-state fermentation (SSF), using various agricultural by-products like cereal bran, corn products, sugarcane bagasse,cassava bagasse (tippi) and by-products of coffee and tea processing. The FTase produced was used for the production of fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), using 60% sucrose as substrate. Among the cereal bran used, rice bran and wheat bran were good substrates for FTase production by A. oryzae CFR 202. Among the various corn products used, corn germ supported maximum FTase production, whereas among the by-products of coffee and tea processing used, spent coffee and spent tea were good substrates, with supplementation of yeast extract and complete synthetic media. FTase had maximum activity at 60°C and pH 6.0. FTase was stable up to 40°C and in the pH range 5.0–7.0. Maximum FOS production was obtained with FTase after 8 h of reaction with 60% sucrose. FTase produced by SSF using wheat bran was purified 107-fold by ammonium sulphate precipitation (30–80%), DEAE cellulose chromatography and Sephadex G-200 chromatography. The molecular mass of the purified FTase was 116.3 kDa by SDS-PAGE. This study indicates the potential for the use of agricultural by-products for the efficient production of FTase enzyme by A. oryzae CFR 202 in SSF, thereby resulting in value addition of those by-products.