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Scope: The cross-linking of proteins by enzymes to form high-molecular-weight protein, aggregates can be used to tailor the technological or physiological functionality of food products. Aggregation of dietary proteins by food processing may promote allergic sensitization, but the effects of enzymatic cross-linking of dietary proteins on the allergenic potential of food are not known. In this study, the bioavailability and the sensitizing or tolerizing potential of peanut proteins (PE) cross-linked with microbial tyrosinase from Trichoderma reesei and mushroom tyrosinase from Agaricus bisporus, were investigated., Methods and Results: The impact of cross-linking of PE on the in vitro bioavailability of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled peanut proteins was tested in a Caco-2 cell monolayer and by competitive ELISA. The in vivo allergenicity or capacity to induce oral tolerance in mice were measured by serum levels of PE-specific antibodies and T cell cytokine production after exposure to PE and cross-linked PE., Conclusion: Enzymatic processing of peanut proteins by the two tyrosinases increased the bioavailability of major peanut allergen Ara h 2, but did not significantly change the allergenic or tolerizing properties of peanut. Enzymatic treatment of peanut proteins yielded cross-linked proteins with preserved molecular and immunological features of peanut allergens., (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Plate assays for lipoxygenase producing microorganisms on agar plates have been developed. Both potassium iodide-starch and indamine dye formation methods were effective for detecting soybean lipoxygenase activity on agar plates. A positive result was also achieved using the β-carotene bleaching method, but the sensitivity of this method was lower than the other two methods. The potassium iodide-starch and indamine dye formation methods were also applied for detecting lipoxygenase production by Trichoderma reesei and Pichia pastoris transformants expressing the lipoxygenase gene of the fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis. In both cases lipoxygenase production in the transformants could be identified. For detection of the G. graminis lipoxygenase produced by Aspergillus nidulans the potassium iodide-starch method was successful. When Escherichia coli was grown on agar and soybean lipoxygenase was applied on the culture lipoxygenase activity could clearly be detected by the indamine dye formation method. This suggests that the method has potential for screening of metagenomic libraries in E. coli for lipoxygenase activity.

Crosslinking enzymes are frequently used in bioprocessing of dairy products. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of enzymatic crosslinking on IgE binding, allergenicity and digestion stability of beta-casein (CN). beta-CN was crosslinked by transglutaminase, tyrosinase, mushroom tyrosinase/caffeic acid and laccase/caffeic acid. The IgE binding to beta-CN was compared in vitro by CAP inhibition assay, ELISA inhibition as well as ex vivo by basophil activation assay. Crosslinked CNs were digested by simulated gastric fluid for 15 and 60 min and obtained digests analyzed for their ability to inhibit IgE binding by CAP inhibition assay and SDS-PAGE. The ability of crosslinked CNs to activate basophils was significantly reduced in seven patients in the case of CN crosslinked by laccase and moderately reduced in the case of tyrosinase/caffeic acid crosslinked CN (in two cow's milk allergy patients tested with different allergen concentrations). The response to various crosslinked CNs differed individually among patients' sera tested by ELISA inhibition assay. The presence of caffeic acid hampered digestion by pepsin, and this effect was most pronounced for the tyrosinase/caffeic acid crosslinked CN. The laccase/caffeic acid and mushroom tyrosinase/caffeic acid had the highest potential in mitigating IgE binding and allergenicity of the beta-CN out of all investigated enzymes. The presence of a small phenolic compound also increased digestion stability of beta-CN.

Laccases have numerous biotechnological applications, among them food processing. The widespread use of laccases has increased the demand for an inexpensive and safe source of recombinant enzyme. We explored the use of a rice-based system for the production of two fungal laccases derived from the ascomycete Melanocarpus albomyces and the basidiomycete Pycnoporus cinnabarinus. High-expression levels of active recombinant laccases were achieved by targeting expression to the endosperm of rice seeds. The laccase cDNAs were fused to a plant-derived signal sequence for targeting to the secretory pathway, and placed under the control of a constitutive seed-specific promoter fused to an intron for enhanced expression. This construct enabled the recovery of on average 0.1-1% of soluble laccase in total soluble proteins (TSP). The highest yields of recombinant laccases obtained in rice seeds were 13 and 39 ppm for riceMaL and ricePycL, respectively. The rice-produced laccases were purified and characterized. The wild-type and the recombinant proteins showed similar biochemical features in terms of molecular mass, pI, temperature and optimal pH and the N-terminus was correctly processed. Although presenting lower kinetic parameters, the rice-produced laccases were also suitable for the oxidative cross-linking of a food model substrate [maize-bran feruloylated arabinoxylans (AX)].

Proteins and certain carbohydrates contain phenolic moieties, which are potential sites for modification of the function of the biopolymers. In this study, the capability of two different fungal oxidative enzymes, laccase from Trametes hirsuta (ThL) and tyrosinase from Trichoderma reesei (TrT), to catalyze formation of hetero-cross-linking between tyrosine side chains of alpha-casein and phenolic acids of hydrolyzed oat spelt xylan (hOSX) was studied. Formation of reaction products was followed by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), fluorescence spectroscopy, and SDS-PAGE, using specific staining methods for proteins and protein-carbohydrate conjugates. ThL and TrT were observed to differ significantly in their ability to catalyze the formation of protein-carbohydrate conjugates or the linking of the small molecular weight phenolic compounds to alpha-casein. The efficiency of these enzymes to directly cross-link protein also differed notably. TrT was able to cross-link alpha-casein more efficiently than ThL. ThL-catalyzed casein cross-linking was significantly enhanced by ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, and also hOSX. The main reaction products by ThL appeared to be phenolic acid-bridged alpha-caseins. Indications of hetero-cross-link formation between alpha-casein and hOSX by both oxidative enzymes could be visualized by glycoprotein-specific staining in the SDS-PAGE analysis, although ThL was observed to be more effective in the heteroconjugate formation than TrT.

The reaction of the monomeric lignin model compound guaiacol and the beta-O-4-type dimer erol (1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-2(2-methoxyphenoxy)-propane-1,3-diol with laccase from Trametes hirsuta was studied in the presence of the mediator ABTS (2,2'-azino-di[3ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid]). The product mixtures were analyzed by means of aqueous-phase size exclusion chromatography (SEC) with 50 mM NaOH as eluent. Interestingly, in the laccase-catalyzed reaction with both substrates, the mediator not only functioned as an electron carrier but underwent coupling reactions with the substrate to give polymeric coupling products. The molecular weight of these copolymeric products was significantly higher than the molecular weight of products obtained without ABTS. After ultrafiltration, 33% and 21% of the initially applied ABTS could be found in the polymeric product fraction for the substrates guaiacol and erol, respectively, on the basis of nitrogen analysis. When ABTS was added to substrates after full laccase-catalyzed polymerization, the reaction proceeded toward higher molecular weights.