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Biocatalytic conversion of aloeresin A to aloesin

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Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Abstract

Leaf exudates from Aloe species, such as the Southern African Aloe ferox, are used in traditional medicines for both humans and livestock. This includes aloesin, a skin bleaching product that inhibits the synthesis of melanin. Aloesin, (a C-glycoside-5-methylchromone) can be released from aloeresin A, an ester of aloesin, through hydrolysis. The objective of the current study was to identify an enzymatic hydrolysis method for converting aloeresin A to aloesin, resulting in increased concentrations of aloesin in the aloe bitters extract. More than 70 commercially available hydrolytic enzymes were screened for the conversion of aloeresin A. An esterase (ESL001-02) from Diversa, a lipase (Novozym 388) and a protease (Aspergillus oryzae) preparation were identified during screening as being capable of providing conversion of pure aloeresin A, with the protease giving the best conversion (~100%). It was found that a contaminating enzyme in Novo 388 was responsible for the conversion of aloeresin A to aloesin. This contaminating enzyme, possibly a protease, was able to give almost complete conversion using crude aloe bitters extract, doubling the concentration of aloesin in aloe bitters extract via the hydrolysis of aloeresin A.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank BioPAD and CSIR for funding. All authors have agreed to the publication of the manuscript in the Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Protein Technologies, CSIR Biosciences, P.O. Box 395, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Lucia Steenkamp, Kgama Mathiba, Paul Steenkamp & Dean Brady

  2. Agricultural Research Council, P.O. Box 8783, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Vuyisile Phehane

  3. Croda Enterprises Ltd, Foundry Lane, Ditton, Widnes, Cheshire, WA8 8UB, England, UK

    Robin Mitra

  4. Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, 4.23, Royal School of Mines Building, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Steven Heggie

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  1. Lucia Steenkamp
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  2. Kgama Mathiba
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  3. Paul Steenkamp
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  4. Vuyisile Phehane
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  5. Robin Mitra
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  6. Steven Heggie
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  7. Dean Brady
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Correspondence to Lucia Steenkamp.

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Steenkamp, L., Mathiba, K., Steenkamp, P. et al. Biocatalytic conversion of aloeresin A to aloesin. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 39, 1091–1097 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-012-1101-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-012-1101-5

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