Isolation and identification of a fungal strain QY229 producing milk-clotting enzyme

• DOI: 10.1007/s00217-011-1454-4
• Publication Date: 2011-03-08T08:55:10Z
• Authors: Zhiguo Zhang; Chenzhong Wang; Zhengying Yao; Junfeng Zhao; Fengxia Lu; Gongming Yu; Wenjun Lan; Zhaoxin Lu
• Keywords: Pepstatin; Strain (injury); Isolation; Kojic acid

A strain QY229, which produces a milk-clotting enzyme, was screened from red kojic rice, a Chinese traditional natural food colorant and preservative for meat and fish for centuries. This strain was identified as Quambalaria cyanescens (QY229) based on morphology and internal transcriptional spacer sequence. Inhibition assay by pepstatin A at 10 μM proved it to be an aspartate proteinase. This is the first report about Quambalaria cyanescens producing milk-clotting enzymes.