Non-Conventional Yeasts as Sources of Ene-Reductases for the Bioreduction of Chalcones
Sara Filippucci,
Giorgia Tasselli,
Fatima-Zohra Kenza Labbani,
Benedetta Turchetti,
Maria Rita Cramarossa,
Pietro Buzzini,
Luca Forti
Affiliations
Sara Filippucci
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Industrial Yeasts Collection DBVPG, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Giorgia Tasselli
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Industrial Yeasts Collection DBVPG, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Fatima-Zohra Kenza Labbani
Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering and Applications, Department of Biochemistry and Cell and Molecular Biology, Natural and Life Sciences Faculty, University of Mentouri, Route Ain El Bey, Constantine 25017, Algeria
Benedetta Turchetti
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Industrial Yeasts Collection DBVPG, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Maria Rita Cramarossa
Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via G. Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
Pietro Buzzini
Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Industrial Yeasts Collection DBVPG, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06121 Perugia, Italy
Luca Forti
Department of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, via G. Campi 103, 41125 Modena, Italy
Thirteen Non-Conventional Yeasts (NCYs) have been investigated for their ability to reduce activated C=C bonds of chalcones to obtain the corresponding dihydrochalcones. A possible correlation between bioreducing capacity of the NCYs and the substrate structure was estimated. Generally, whole-cells of the NCYs were able to hydrogenate the C=C double bond occurring in (E)-1,3-diphenylprop-2-en-1-one, while worthy bioconversion yields were obtained when the substrate exhibited the presence of a deactivating electron-withdrawing Cl substituent on the B-ring. On the contrary, no conversion was generally found, with a few exceptions, in the presence of an activating electron-donating substituent OH. The bioreduction aptitude of the NCYs was apparently correlated to the logP value: Compounds characterized by a higher logP exhibited a superior aptitude to be reduced by the NCYs than compounds with a lower logP value.
