Basic cultural parameters affecting mutanase production by Trichoderma harzianum F-340 in shaken flasks and aerated fermenter cultures have been standardized. The best medium for enzyme production was Mandels medium A with initial pH 5.3, supplemented with 0.3% mutan and 0.05% peptone and inoculated with 20% of the 72-h mycelium as inoculum. It was shown that mycelial mass, used in the culture medium as a sole carbon source, induced mutanase synthesis and could be utilized as an inexpensive and easily available substitute for bacterial mutan. Application of optimized medium and cultural conditions enabled us to obtain a high mutanase yield (0.6-0.7 U/mL, 2.0-2.5 U/mg protein) in a short period of time (3-5 days), which was much higher than the best reported in literature. The enzyme in crude state was stable in the pH range of 4.5-6.0, and at temperatures of up to 40ºC; its maximum activity was recorded at 45ºC and at pH 5.5. The mutanase preparation obtained from the T. harzianum fungus was relatively stable under storage conditions, and showed a high hydrolytic potential in reaction with a mixed-linkage (alpha-1,3, alpha-1,6) water-insoluble mutan of streptococcal origin (hydrolysis yield reached a value of 69% in 24 h). Steady-state measurement of the enzymic reaction products during the hydrolysis revealed that mutanase exhibited an exo type of action on mutan. Thin-layer chromatographic analysis showed that glucose was the primary final product of mutan hydrolysis with mutanase. The potential application of mutanase in dentistry is discussed.
Trichoderma harzianum; mutanase; mutan
