Isolation of Fusarium fujikuroi AUMC16188 from Alexandria, Egypt as a novel tannase producer exhibiting potent antioxidant activity

El-Wahsh, H. H. H.; Abo-Dahab, N. F.; El-Shenawy, F. SH.; Amara, A. A.; Abd El-Baky, Nawal

doi:10.21608/aasj.2025.460669

Isolation of Fusarium fujikuroi AUMC16188 from Alexandria, Egypt as a novel tannase producer exhibiting potent antioxidant activity

Document Type : Research article

Authors

¹ Botany and Microbiology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut, 71524, Egypt

² Protein Research Department, Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Research Institute (GEBRI), City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El-Arab City, P.O. Box 21934, Alexandria, Egypt

10.21608/aasj.2025.460669

Abstract

Tannase represents a technically crucial enzyme with significant potential to replace hazardous chemicals in various industrial applications. This study reports the successful isolation and screening of novel tannase-producing fungi from Egyptian soils. Among 68 fungal isolates obtained from 24 soil samples, Fusarium fujikuroi AUMC16188 emerged as the most promising strain, demonstrating exceptional tannase production (1399.73 U/mL; 264.1 U/mg) under optimized conditions. Genetic identification through ITS sequencing confirmed its novelty as a previously unreported tannase source. Remarkably, the purified enzyme exhibited superior antioxidant activity, showing an IC₅₀ of 1.18 µg/mL in 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays-approximately 6.5-fold more potent than Trolox. These findings establish Fusarium fujikuroi AUMC16188 as a dual-function biocatalyst with substantial biotechnological potential for sustainable industrial applications.

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