Bioprocess for Hyperactive Thermotolerant Aspergillus fumigatus Phytase and its Application in Dephytinization of Wheat Flour

In the present study, statistically optimized production of thermotolerant Aspergillus fumigatus phytase was carried out in batch fermentation (1-L). An enhancement in phytase production was noted up to 3.3-folds as compared to unoptimized and using One Variable at a Time strategy. Phytase was purified up to 26-folds with a single band of ~ 62 kDa. The optimum activity of purified phytase was recorded at pH 5.5 and 65 °C. The kinetic parameters, K m and V max , were observed to be, 0.75 mM, and 345 µmol/min/mg-protein,respectively. The activity was constrained by silver and mercuric ions and slightly increased by calcium ions. The phytase showed high dephytinization up to 78.7% of wheat flour (10 g) at a small reaction volume (30 mL). On up-scaling to 3-L reaction, a slight decrease in dephytinization to 72.5% was recorded. This is the first report where hyperactive purified phytase from thermotolerant A. fumigatus has been demonstrated to degrade wheat flour-based phytic acid up to a 3-L scale at the bioreactor level. This finding can be explored at a commercial scale for multi-dimensional future biotechnological applications. Graphical Abstract