Characterization and application of fungal chlorogenate hydrolase to enzymatic breaking down of chlorogenate from yerba mate

The aim of this work was to study the physicochemical and kinetic properties of chlorogenate hydrolase (CHase) (EC 3.1.1.42) of Aspergillus niger AKU 3302 by induction in the presence of yerba mate extract. The data obtained could be applicable directly to mass processing for a plant scale production of quinic acid (QA) and caffeic acid (CA) with koji CHase. It is fundamentally significant to accumulate catalytic properties of CHase as much as possible with crude CHase, when koji CHase is directed to practical industrial processing of breakdown of chlorogenate (CGA). CHase exhibited a high thermal stability without appreciable loss after standing for 6 h at 50 °C and was stable in wide pH ranges from 2.0 to 9.0. The optimum pH and temperature of CHase activity were found at 6.5-7.0 and 45 °C, respectively. The Vmax and Km values for CGA hydrolysis were 1.996 unit mg−1 and 0.72 mM, respectively. The activation energy of CHase was estimated to be 26 kJ mol−1. Thus, CHase induced with CGA revealed successful for the production of CA and QA, fine chemicals of high interest and commercial values, from natural plant resources rich in CGA such as yerba mate. Several advantageous merits obtained with a crude CHase for the practical formation of QA and CA from yerba mate or yerba mate extract are discussed.