ISOLATION AND SCREENING OF PHYTATE-DEGRADING YEASTS FROM CEREALS

Authors

Keywords:

Phytase, Phytate, Yeast, Submerged, Fermentation, Optimization

Abstract

Application of phytase (myo-inositol hexakisphosphate phosphohydrolase) to catalyze the release of phosphate from phytates contained on grain-based feed has been used widely. This study was carried out to isolate, identify, screen and produce yeast phytase from cereals using submerged fermentation. Two hundred and twenty seven (227) yeast isolates were obtained from maize, sorghum and millet and identified based on various characteristics such as colony morphology, microscopy, biochemical tests, sugar fermentation tests and molecular analysis. The isolates were then screened for phytase production by growing them on Phytase Screening Medium (PSM) and observing the formation of a clear zone around their colonies, indicating their ability to degrade phytate. It was found that yeast species such as Pichia membranefaciens, Meyerozyma guilliermondii SWS81, Candida krusei, M. guilliermondii M122, Pichia fermentans, M. guilliermondii WM226 and Schwanniomyces occidentalis, were capable of phytate degradation. M. guilliermondii M122, M. guilliermondii SWS81, and M. guilliermondii WM226 with higher solubilizing indices (4.52 mm, 3.64 mm and 5.14 mm respectively) were selected for production and assay. The results showed that crude enzymes from these yeast strains had phytase activity ranging from 44.70 U/mL to 97.70 U/mL, making them potential supplements for animal feeds to improve nutritional status and combat environmental phosphorus pollution.

Dimensions

Azeem, K., Iqbal, M. J., Anjum, F. M. & Ali, A. (2015). Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria and their role in plant growth promotion: a review. Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology Research, 5(1), 1-7. http://www.jmbronline.com/index.php/jmbr/article/view/120

Bashir, K., Inayatullah, T., Khan, S. J., & Khan, K. A. (2013). Importance of micronutrients in agricultural production and human health. Journal of Agricultural and Biological Science, 8(4), 315-319. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18013

Brautaset, T., Lale, R., & Valla, S. (2010). Positively regulated bacterial expression systems. Microbial Biotechnology, 3(3), 179-188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-7915.2009.00123.x

Fu, H., Le, G. W., & Li, Y. (2008). Effects of phytase supplementation on growth performance, nutrient utilization and meat quality in pigs. African Journal of Biotechnology, 7(12), 1992-1997. https://doi.org/10.5897/ajb08.068

Fu, L., Xu, Y., Li, W., & Li, Y. (2008). Phytase: progress in enzymology and application. Chinese Journal of Applied and Environmental Biology, 14(6), 972-978.

Gao, S., Li, L., Li, Q., Li, H. & Wang, Y. (2021). Nutritional evaluation of different types of rice bran on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites, and fecal microbiota in piglets. Journal of Animal Science, 99(11), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skab307

Guo, B., Chen, X., Wu, Y., Guo, J., & Yuan, Z. (2016). Cloning, expression, and characterization of a novel phytase from Bacillus subtilis strain JK-AS1. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology, 178(5), 976-989. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-015-1985-1

Hellstrm, J. K., Shikov, A. N., Makarova, M. N., Pihlanto, A. M. & Pozharitskaya, O. N. (2009). Identification of lactic acid bacteria from cereals and characterization of their abilities to produce in vitro ACE-inhibitory peptides. Journal of Cereal Science, 49(2), 252-258.

Howson, S.J. & Davis, R.P. (1983). Production of phytate hydrolyzing enzyme by fungi. Enzyme and Microbiology Technology, 5(5), 377-382.

Kim, D.H., Oh, B.C., Choi, W.C., Lee, J.K. & Oh, T.K. (1999). Enzymatic Evaluation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Phytase as a feed additive. Biotechnology Letters, 21, 925927

Klowoski, T., Wroblewska, B., Dziuba, B., Dziuba, M., & witecka, D. (2018). Optimization of submerged culture conditions for phytase production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae Finarome strain. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 125(2), 544-555.

Konietzny, U., & Greiner, R. (2002). Bacterial phytase: potential application, in vivo function and regulation of its synthesis. Brazilian Journal of Microbiology, 33(4), 297-306.

Kumar, A. & Joshi, V. K. (2021). Yeast phytase: Production, characterization and applications. Food Bioscience, 40,100836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbio.2021.100836

Kumar, A. & Singh, D. (2022). Yeast phytase production from cereals: An overview. Journal of Cereal Science, 103,103326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2021.103326

Kurtzman,C.P., Fell,J.W., Boekhout,T. & Vincent R. (2011). Methods for isolation, phenotypic characterization and maintenance of yeasts. The Yeasts ,5th edition

Lei, X. G., Porres, J. M., & Mullaney, E. J. (2013). In vitro biophysical and biochemical characterization of five phytases from microbial sources. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 61(14), 3410-3420. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf304941u

Lei, X. G., Weaver, J. D., Mullaney, E. J., & Ullah, A. H. (2018). Enzyme: a versatile and efficient platform for expression of heterologous fungal phytases in Aspergillus niger. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-19501-3

Li, C., Chen, Y., Li, Q., & Zeng, Q. (2021). Screening of phytase-producing yeasts from wheat bran and optimization of fermentation conditions for phytase production. Journal of Cereal Science, 101, 103319. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2021.103319

Menezes-Blackburn D, Gabler S. & Greiner R.(2020). Performance of seven commercial phytases in an in vitro simulation of poultry digestive tract. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chem. 63(27), 61426149. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.5b01996

Oladokun, O., & Ogunbanwo, S. T. (2021). Screening, production and optimization of Phytate-solubilizing yeast isolates from cereal sources. Journal of Food Science, 86(1), 279-288. Doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.15591

Ponmurugan, P., & Gopi, C. (2006). Isolation and characterization of phytase producing fungi from agricultural soil. Journal of Agricultural Technology, 2(2), 247-255.

Prasad, R., Kumar, V. and Prasad, M. (2015). Environmental sustainability and phosphorus management in agricultural systems. Journal of Cleaner Production, 87, 50-59.

Raghavendra, P. & Halami, P.M. (2009). Screening, selection and characterisation of phytic acid degrading lactic acid bacteria from chicken intestine. International Journal of Food Microbiology, 133,129134

Rajagopal, R., Kaur, B., Singh, S., & Kumar, A. (2020). Production of phytase from Debaryomyces hansenii using rice bran as substrate. Food Science and Biotechnology, 29(6), 869-875. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10068-020-00772-7

Razan, F. N. & Sahay, S. (2013). Screening, identification, and optimization of phytase producing yeast isolated from Malaysian soil. World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 29(6):1053-1063. doi: 10.1007/s11274-013-1279-9

Selle, P. H. and Ravindran, V. (2007). Microbial phytase in poultry nutrition. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 135(1-2), 1-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2006.06.010

Shen, J., Yuan, L., Zhang, J., Li, H., Bai, Z., Chen, X., & Zhang, W. (2011). Phosphorus dynamics: from soil to plant. Plant Physiology, 156(3), 997-1005. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.111.175232

Song, Z., Wu, X., Zhang, Y., Wu, H., Chen, D., & Wang, X. (2021). Phytate: A potential double-edged sword in animal nutrition. Animal Nutrition, 7(1),12-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2020.06.001

Ullah, A. H., Sethumadhavan, K., & Mullaney, E. J. (2015). Expression, purification, and characterization of fungal phytases. In Phytase (pp. 67-89). Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-2826-1_5

Wang, Y., Zhang, X., Zhang, Y., and Xu, L. (2021). Screening of phytase-producing yeasts from cereals and optimization of phytase production by Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from barley. Journal of Cereal Science, 100,103314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2021.103314

Wu, X., Song, Z., Wang, X., Li, H., Chen, D. & Wu, H. (2022). Phytate degradation by microbes in the gastrointestinal tract of monogastric animals: A review. Animal Nutrition, 8(1),1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2021.05.002

Wu, X., Wang, Y., Yang, X., Zhang, X., and Wang, Y. (2021). Isolation, identification and screening of phytase-producing yeast strains. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 131(4),1804-1814. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.15372

Published

16-07-2025

How to Cite

ISOLATION AND SCREENING OF PHYTATE-DEGRADING YEASTS FROM CEREALS. (2025). FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 9(5), 375-380. https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2025-0905-3305

Issue

Vol. 9 No. 5 (2025): FUDMA Journal of Sciences - Vol. 9 No. 5

Section

Research Articles
Copyright & Licensing

FUDMA Journal of Sciences

How to Cite

ISOLATION AND SCREENING OF PHYTATE-DEGRADING YEASTS FROM CEREALS. (2025). FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES, 9(5), 375-380. https://doi.org/10.33003/fjs-2025-0905-3305