Potencial biotecnológico de leveduras do semiárido baiano para produção de enzimas hidrolíticas

Abstract

Enzymes are biomolecules widely used in the production of food, pharmaceuticals, biofuelsand other sectors. Therefore, microorganisms have significant biotechnological potential forsynthesizing various enzymes. Among these microorganisms, yeasts stand out, unicellulareukaryotic microorganisms that act as promising enzyme sources due to their metabolicdiversity, ease of cultivation, and large-scale production. This study evaluated 52 yeast strainsisolated from soil in the semiarid region of Bahia for the production of lipase, amylase,protease, and pectinase. Therefore, we propose (1) to reactivate yeast strains fromsoilsamples collected in the semiarid region of Bahia; (2) to evaluate the capacity of soil yeaststoproduce hydrolytic enzymes; (3) to analyze the enzyme indices obtained for the productionoflipase, amylase, protease, and pectinase in specific media; and (4) classify the most promisingcultures for biotechnological applications, based on the tests performed. The colonieswerereactivated and grown on yeast malt agar medium, and subsequently subjected toqualitativescreening on solid media specific for each enzyme, incubated at 28°Cfor 21days, withdetermination of the Mean Enzymatic Index (MEI). The results highlighted lipases (51,9%ofthe strains), followed by pectinases (15.38%), amylases (13.46%), and proteases (13.46%). Ofthe strains evaluated, 48,63% showed high activity (MEI ≥ 2) for at least one of the enzymestested. Furthermore, strains with multifunctional enzymatic activity also stood out, includingstrains capable of producing two or three enzymes simultaneously, such as P1A23(lipase,protease, and pectinase) and P2B5 (lipase, amylase, and pectinase). The occurrenceof thesestrains suggests an adaptive advantage in the semiarid environment and economic potential,due to the reduction in process steps and costs. The diversity of enzyme profiles revealsthepotential of bioprospecting soil yeasts for biotechnological processes.