ABSTRACTIn this study, 154 isolates capable of producing extracellular phytate-degrading activity were isolated from four soil samples from volcanic areas in Central Java, Indonesia. Six strains with high phytate-degrading activity were selected for strain identification and characterization of the corresponding phytate-degrading enzyme. Blast analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed high similarities for all the six isolates to reference sequences belonging to the genusBacillus. Isolates MS5, MC6, D10 and D16 showed 99% sequence identity toB. cereus, while isolate MC8 exhibited 99% sequence identity toB. aryabhatti and D6 99% sequence identity toB. psychrotolerans. The crude extracellular phytase preparations from the isolates showed following optimal conditions for phytate dephosphorylation: pH 4.0 and 50°C (isolate D10), pH 5.0 and 60°C (isolate MC6, and isolate MS5), pH 6.0 and 50°C (isolate D16) and pH 6.0 and 60°C (isolate D6) and pH 6.0 and 40°C (isolate MC8). Zn2+ and Fe3+ strongly inhibited phytate dephosphorylation with all phytase preparations studied. In the presence of Ca2+, an increase in phytase activity of 10-15% was obtained.

The glucose-1-phosphatase encoding gene (agp) of Pantoea agglomerans was sequenced and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzyme showed very high homology to periplasmatic glucose-1-phosphatases of other members of the Enterobacteriaceae family. It was isolated from transformed Escherichia coli cells in a single step in high yields (32.3 ± 1.2 mg per litre of culture) by Ni-NT agarose affinity chromatography to >95% purity as calculated from specific activity determinations. The purified glucose-1-phosphatase was entrapped in alginate beads with an entrapment efficiency of >80%. Temperature stability was enhanced as a consequence of entrapment, whereas pH dependence of enzyme activity was not affected. Maximum catalytic activity of entrapped glucose-1-phosphatase was found at 70°C, whereas the free enzyme exhibited maximal activity at 60°C. A single pH optimum at pH 4.5 was determined for the free and the entrapped enzyme. Kinetic parameters for the hydrolysis of sodium phytate were found to be affected by entrapment. They were determined to be K M = 0.84 mmol l-1 and k cat = 8 s-1 at pH 4.5 and 37°C for the entrapped glucose-1-phosphatase and K M = 0.35 mmol l-1 and k cat = 20.5 s-1 for the free enzyme. Complete conversion of phytate into one single myo-inositol pentakisphosphate isomer, identified as D-myo-inositol(1,2,4,5,6)pentakis-phosphate, was shown to be feasible by using the enzyme-loaded alginate beads in batch operations. The entrapped enzyme showed a high operational stability by retaining almost full activity even after ten uses.