Expression and characterization of α-L-arabinofuranosidase derived from Aspergillus awamori and its enzymatic degradation of corn byproducts with xylanase

[Display omitted] •α-L-arabinofuranosidase AF from A. awamori was expressed in P.pastoris.•After codon and vector optimization, enzyme activity efficiently increased.•AF had high synergistic effect with xylanase to degrade corn by-products.•AF could saccharify agricultural residues into valuable products. In this study, α-L-arabinofuranosidase (AF) from Aspergillus awamori was heterologously expressed in Pichia pastoris X33, with a 1-fold increase in AF activity after codon and vector optimization. AF remained stable at 60–65 °C and displayed a broad pH stability range of 2.5–8.0. It also demonstrated considerable resistance to pepsin and trypsin. Furthermore, compared with xylanase alone, AF with xylanase exhibited a marked synergistic effect in the degradation of expanded corn bran, corn bran, and corn distillers’ dried grains with solubles, reducing sugars by 3.6-fold, 1.4-fold, and 6.5-fold, respectively, with the degree of synergy increasing to 4.61, 2.44, and 5.4, respectively, while in vitro dry matter digestibility values were 17.6%, 5.2%, and 8.8%, respectively. After enzymatic saccharification, corn byproducts were converted to prebiotic xylo-oligosaccharides and arabinoses, thereby demonstrating the favorable properties of AF in the degradation of corn biomass and its byproducts.