Isolation and characterization of urethanase from Penicillium variabile and its application to reduce ethyl carbamate contamination in Chinese rice wine

Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 2013 Jun;170(3):718-28. doi: 10.1007/s12010-013-0178-2. Epub 2013 Apr 23.

Abstract

A strain with urethanase activity was isolated from mouse gastrointestine. By combination of morphological characterization of the colony, hyphae, and spore and the sequence analysis of its rDNA ITS, the strain was determined as Penicillium variabile and named as P. variabile JN-A525. The enzymatic properties of urethanase from P. variabile JN-A525 were further studied. The optimum temperature and pH value of urethanase are of 50 °C and 6.0, respectively. The enzyme maintains stability when the temperature is below 50 °C and the pH is in the range of 7.0-10.0. The enzyme also exhibits ethanol tolerance. It can remove ethyl carbamate from Chinese rice wine without the change of flavor substances in the wine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amidohydrolases / isolation & purification*
  • Amidohydrolases / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • China
  • Food Contamination / prevention & control
  • Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
  • Intestines / microbiology
  • Mice
  • Penicillium / enzymology
  • Penicillium / genetics
  • Substrate Specificity
  • Urethane / metabolism*
  • Wine*

Substances

  • Urethane
  • Amidohydrolases
  • urethanase