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Metabolism of benzonitrile by Cryptococcus sp. UFMG-Y28
R P Rezende1, J C Dias, V Ferraz
1Departamento de Microbiologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, C.P. 486, 31270-901 Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Abstract:
The yeast Cryptococcus sp. UFMG-Y28 can utilize benzonitrile as a nitrogen and possible additional carbon source. The kinetics of growth on Yeast Carbon Base (YCB) added of benzonitrile as sole nitrogen source showed that benzonitrile was metabolized to benzoic acid and ammonia. Liquid chromatography analysis indicated that Cryptococcus sp. UFMG-Y28 metabolized 12 mM benzonitrile to 10 mM benzoic acid. Resting cells cultivated on YCB-propionitrile medium showed nitrilase activity against benzonitrile. This strain appears to be promising for bioconversion of nitriles to high value acids and for bioremediation of sites contaminated with aliphatic and aromatic nitriles.