Vol. 7(10), pp. 197-202, November, 2013 DOI: 10.5897/AJBR12.073 ISSN 1996-0778 ©2013 AcademicJournals http://www.academicjournals.org/AJBR African Journal of Biochemistry Research Full Length Research Paper Production of tannase and gallic acid by Aspergillus tamarii in submerged and solid state cultures Andrea Miura da Costa 1 , Cristina Giatti Marques de Souza 2 , Adelar Bracht 2 , Marina Kimiko Kadowaki 3 , Aline Cristine da Silva de Souza 2 , Roselene Ferreira Oliveira 2 and Rosane Marina Peralta 2 * 1 State University of Santa Cruz, Ilhéus, BA, Brazil. 2 State University of Maringá, Maringá, PR, Brazil. 3 State University of West Paraná, Cascavel, PR, Brazil. Accepted September 17, 2013 The hydrolytic enzyme, tannase and the antioxidant phenolic compound, gallic acid are useful in many biotechnological processes especially in food and pharmaceutical areas. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the production of tannase and gallic acid by Aspergillus tamarii developed in submerged and solid state cultures using tannic acid as substrate. In submerged cultures, maximal tannase activity (20,400 ± 2,900 U/L) was obtained after 2 days of cultivation using 2% tannic acid as substrate. In solid state cultivation using polyurethane foam as inert support, maximal tannase activity was obtained after 4 days of cultivation in 15% tannic acid cultures (25,470 ± 1,600 U/L). In both types of cultures, high accumulation of gallic acid was found in the two day-culture filtrates, 0.36±0.05 and 0.67±0.08 g of gallic acid per g of tannic acid, in submerged and solid state cultures, respectively. The accumulation of gallic acid in the cultures is, however, a transitory phenomenon, considering that the fungus slowly absorbs and metabolizes gallic acid. Key words: Aspergillus tamari, gallic acid, inert support, solid-state cultures, submerged cultures, tannase. INTRODUCTION Tannin acyl hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.20), commonly called tannase, catalyzes the hydrolysis of ester bonds into hydrolysable tannins such as tannic acid, thereby releasing glucose and gallic acid (Aguilar et al., 2007; Bhat et al., 1998; Lekha and Lonsane, 1997). The chemical formula for commercial tannic acid is often given as C 76 H 52 O 46, which corresponds to decagalloyl glucose, but it is a mixture of polygalloyl glucoses or polygalloyl quinic acid esters with the number of galloyl moieties per molecule ranging from 2 to 12, depending on the plant source used to extract the tannic acid. Tannase is an important enzyme used in the pharmaceutical and food industries and also for analytical and developmental purposes (Aguilar et al., 2007). Tannases contribute to removal of the undesirable effects of tannins in the elaboration of instantaneous tea. They also act as clarifying agents in some wines, juices of fruits and in refreshing drinks with coffee flavour (Boadi and Neufeld, 2001; Belmares et al., 2004). Other important application of tannase in the food industry is its use in the production of gallic acid, a substrate for the chemical synthesis of pyrogallol, which is used in a variety of industrial sector, such as a developer in photography, to make colloidal solutions of metals, as a mordant for wool, for staining leather, in process engraving, in the manufacture of various dyes, and in the dyeing of fur, hair, etc (Cruz-Hernandez et al., 2005). Gallic acid is also precursor in the enzymatic synthesis of *Corresponding author. E-mail: rmperalta@uem.br or rosanemperalta@gmail.com.