Generation of 4-vinylguaiacol through a novel high-affinity ferulic acid decarboxylase to obtain smoke flavours without carcinogenic contaminants

Traditional smoke flavours bear the risk of containing a multitude of contaminating carcinogenic side-products. Enzymatic decarboxylation of ferulic acid released from agro-industrial side-streams by ferulic acid esterases (FAE) enables the sustainable generation of pure, food grade 4-vinylguaiacol (4-VG), the impact compound of smoke flavour. The first basidiomycetous ferulic acid decarboxylase (FAD) was isolated from Schizophyllum commune (ScoFAD) and heterologously produced by Komagataella phaffii. It showed a molecular mass of 21 kDa, catalytic optima at pH 5.5 and 35°C, and a sequence identity of 63.6% to its next relative, a FAD from the ascomycete Cordyceps farinosa. The ScoFAD exhibited a high affinity to its only known substrate ferulic acid (FA) of 0.16 mmol L-1 and a turnover number of 750 s-1. The resulting catalytic efficiency kcat KM-1 of 4,779 L s-1 mmol-1 exceeded the next best known enzyme by more than a factor of 50. Immobilised on AminoLink Plus Agarose, ScoFAD maintained its activity for several days. The combination with FAEs and agro-industrial side-streams paves the way for a new generation of sustainable, clean, and safe smoke flavours.