Screening for yeasts for urease production and enzyme characterization

• Grant number: 23/12114-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: November 30, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Microbiology - Applied Microbiology
• Principal Investigator: Eleni Gomes
• Grantee: Bruno Luan Cavicchioni Fernandes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências, Letras e Ciências Exatas (IBILCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de São José do Rio Preto. São José do Rio Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Urea, a nitrogenous compost present in the environment, from agricultural pesticides or as a metabolite excreted by living organisms, can contaminate raw materials, processes and products, making up a residue that compromising the quality of final products. In alcoholic beverages, mainly the spirits, the reaction of ethanol with urea during storage can generate ethyl carbamate, a neurotoxic and carcinogenic compound. In this way, the elimination of urea is important, therefore, it must be done by a biologically safe and low-cost method. The use of the urease attend to this proposal, therefore, biologically safe organisms must also produce it. The aim of this project is the prospection of yeast strains capable of producing urease and characterizing this enzyme considering a future application in the production of cachaça. The selection of the strains will be carried out by qualitative methods using a commercial urease detection kit and by a quantitative method, determining the activity of the enzyme by a colorimetric method. The characterization studies will be evaluated under the conditions of maximum activity of the enzyme.