Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Isolation and Screening from Soil Biodiversity for Fungi Involved in the Degradation of Recalcitrant Materials
Published on: May 16, 2022
Diversity of fungal feruloyl esterases: updated phylogenetic classification, properties, and industrial applications
Adiphol Dilokpimol1, Miia R Mäkelä2, Maria Victoria Aguilar-Pontes1
1Fungal Physiology, CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre & Fungal Molecular Physiology, Utrecht University, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Feruloyl esterases (FAEs) represent a diverse group of carboxyl esterases that specifically catalyze the hydrolysis of ester bonds between ferulic (hydroxycinnamic) acid and plant cell wall polysaccharides. Therefore, FAEs act as accessory enzymes to assist xylanolytic and pectinolytic enzymes in gaining access to their site of action during biomass conversion. Their ability to release ferulic acid and other hydroxycinnamic acids from plant biomass makes FAEs potential biocatalysts in a wide variety of applications such as in biofuel, food and feed, pulp and paper, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. This review provides an updated overview of the knowledge on fungal FAEs, in particular describing their role in plant biomass degradation, diversity of their biochemical properties and substrate specificities, their regulation and conditions needed for their induction. Furthermore, the discovery of new FAEs using genome mining and phylogenetic analysis of current publicly accessible fungal genomes will also be presented. This has led to a new subfamily classification of fungal FAEs that takes into account both phylogeny and substrate specificity.
More Related Videos
14:53Techniques for the Evolution of Robust Pentose-fermenting Yeast for Bioconversion of Lignocellulose to Ethanol
Published on: October 24, 2016
06:08Design of Solid-State Fermentation Systems for Polymer Hydrolytic Extracellular Enzyme Production by Filamentous Fungi
Published on: June 6, 2025
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Fungi
Fungal Group Zygomycota
Carboxylic Acids to Esters: Acid-Catalyzed (Fischer) Esterification Overview
Microbial Fermentation
Biosynthesis of Lipids
Fungal Phylum Ascomycota