Tadanobu Nakadai

Use of glutaminase for soy sauce made by Koji or a preparation of proteases from Aspergillus oryzae

Abstract Although a small amount of glutamic acid was released in the hydrolysis of protein or soy sauce made by a preparation of proteases containing little glutaminase, a large amount of glutamic acid was formed in such hydrolyzate or soy sauce made by the addition of mycelia of black Aspergilli or glutaminase from Cryptococcus albidus . The former effect was caused mainly by glutaminase produced by black Aspergilli . The former crude enzyme showed an optimum pH of 5.0, broad pH stability and salt tolerance. The addition of glutaminase from C. albidus ATCC 20293 in soy sauce manufacture using a preparation of proteases resulted in a 42% increase in glutamic acid per total nitrogen content.

Culture conditions of aspergillus oryzae for production of enzyme preparation

Abstract Submerged culture was better than solid culture in the production of proteinase and peptidases from Aspergillus oryzae 460. On the contrary, solid culture was better than submerged culture in the production of α-amylase, carboxymethyl cellulase, and pectinlyase from the same fungus. The soy souce mash (moromi) made with the enzyme preparation from submerged culture was highly viscous and the soy sauce produced was characteristic in low contents of alcohol and reducing sugar, low pH value, and less aroma. Soy sauce made with the enzyme preparation from solid culture was superior on these points to that from submerged culture. Wheat bran was best as the raw material for the enzyme preparation in easy koji making, large amount produced, and low cost. In enzyme production from a solid culture, addition of urea (0.8% to wheat bran) nearly doubled the leucine aminopeptidase for Leu-Gly-Gly. The incubation period was reduced to 30 to 40 h from 50 to 60 h using germinated spores and moisture-controlled culture with forced aeration.

Hydrolysis of acid-treated protein by a preparation of proteases

Abstract Because of less glutaminase activity, soy sauce made with a preparation of proteases from yellow-green Aspergilli contains less glutamic acid than soy sauce made by the traditional shoyu koji method. Thus, an acid treatment was developed to increase this amino acid in enzyme-made shoyu . Amide bonds of glutamine and asparagine in protein molecules were hydrolyzed at 100°C for 30 min with 1.3 N HCl (acid treatment). Using this method, glutamic acid per total nitrogen freed from various proteins by the concerted action of proteinases and peptidases of yellow-green Aspergillus increased to 1.0 to 3.8 times that of control (no acid treatment). An increase of about 31% of glutamic acid per total nitrogen resulted from the acid treatment method in soy sauce made with an enzyme preparation of proteases.

Enzyme preparation from extract of wheat bran Koji by alcohol precipitation

Abstract A method for the preparation method of enzymes for shoyu making was studied. When enzyme proteins were extracted with water from a column of wheat bran koji culture of Aspergillus oryzae 460, the tailing phenomenon resulted in low recovery. However, a better yield was obtained by the use of the solution passed at the latter stage of extraction as the extraction liquid for the succeeding extraction. Thus, in case of leucine aminopeptidase (Leu-Gly-Gly as substrate) the extraction yield reached 89%. Considering the extraction yield, and the amount of alcohol required to precipitate enzyme proteins, an appropriate volume of extract was found to be 1.5 to 2 times the amount of wheat bran koji. Moreover, less sporulation of koji culture due to a shortening of the culture time to 48 h, or 38 h by the use of germinated spores as seed culture, resulted in less water repellence, and a higher yield of extraction of enzymes than in the old culture (58.5 h). The temperature of the mixture of extract and alcohol should be kept at 5°C to increase the yield of leucine aminopeptidase and acid carboxypeptidase. By the concentration of enzyme proteins through ultrafiltration, the use of alcohol could be reduced, and an enzyme preparation with high specific activity and recovery could be obtained.

Purification and Properties of Neutral Proteinase I from Aspergillus oryzaePurification and Properties of Neutral Proteinase II from Aspergillus oryzae

Neutral proteinase I (the first peak in DEAE-cellulose chromatogrraphy) was purified from the Amberlite IRC-50 adsorbed fraction by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration through Sephadex G-100. It shows an optimum pH of 7.0 for milk casein. The enzyme was found to be stable in the pH range of 5.5 to 12.0. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be about 41,000 by gel filtration. The enzyme had neither aminopeptidase nor carboxypeptidase activity, but degraded carbobenzoxy-glycyl-phenyl-alanine amide, poly-l-lysine and poly-l,α-glutamic acid. The enzyme was inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate, but not inhibited by diisopropylphosphorofluoridate and potato inhibitor.

Studies on the Metabolism of Aspergilli :Part IX. Effect of Water Level of Culture Medium on Metabolism of Organic Acids and Distribution of Enzymes between Mycelia and Medium

Using Aspergillus sojae K.S., studies were made on the effect of water level of culture medium on the metabolism of organic acids and on the distribution of protease and α-amylase between the mycelia and culture medium. The mold was grown on the media of various water levels made of powder of defatted soybean and wheat granule. Grown on the low water medium, the mold consumed much more organic acids especially citric acid in the medium. At the same time, the composition of organic acids in the mycelia were also affected by the water level of the medium. It was observed that much more protease and α-amylase were found in the medium than in the mycelia when the mold grew on the low water medium. It was shown that the mycelia grown on the low water medium were apt to release much more protease into the culture medium.