Comparative analysis of enzymatic activity of tannase in non-conventional yeasts to produce ellagic acid
Ellagic acid is a polyphenolic compound obtained by the degradation of ellagitannins present in various fruits and plants, which has a lot of applications in various areas such as nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industry (Vázquez-Flores et al., 2012). A large amount of research has been carried out to produce ellagic acid where three main factors have been considered, degrading enzymes of ellagitannins such as tannase (EC 3.1.1.20) and β-glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21), filamentous fungi of the genus Aspergillus that are the principal producing organisms of these enzymes, and different vegetal sources rich in ellagitannins. The use of fungi entails an increase in the amount of substrate required for their growth and a longer time for fermentation, which in turn has an impact on the energy costs. For these disadvantages, the investigation is developing alternatives to improve said process, using non-conventional yeasts as microorganisms that produce the enzymes of interest, reducing fermentation time, costs of maintenance and adaptation of microorganisms.