Aims: The aim of this study is to report on the hydrolytic action of Alcaligenes faecalis isolated from soil samples and its ability to degrade ochratoxin A.
Methods and results: An A. faecalis strain was identified and characterized by employing both a phenotypic analysis and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The results show that this strain could degrade ochratoxin A efficiently but could not use it as a sole carbon source. Ochratoxin α was confirmed as a degradation product in the intracellular extract of A. faecalis using UPLC-MS/MS. Our results suggest that the biodegradation of ochratoxin A by the A. faecalis strain occurs through the hydrolysis of the ochratoxin A amide bond by a putative peptidase. This is the first report to date on the degradation of ochratoxin A by A. faecalis.
Conclusion: The A. faecalis strain is presumably a suitable candidate for use in the biodegradation of ochratoxin A.
Significance and impact of the study: Ochratoxin A, which is produced by some filamentous fungi, severely impacts human and animal health by contaminating several types of food and feed. Our study contributes to the identification of the function of A. faecalis 0D-1, which is capable of producing hydrolytic enzyme(s) to biodegrade ochratoxin A into nontoxic ochratoxin α, to minimize the risk associated with ochratoxin A exposure.
Keywords: Alcaligenes faecalis; OTA; biodegradation; ochratoxin A; ochratoxin α.
© 2017 The Society for Applied Microbiology.