High-level production of Aspergillus niger prolyl endopeptidase from agricultural residue and its application in beer brewing

BACKGROUND: Prolyl endopeptidase from Aspergillus niger (AN-PEP) is a prominent serine proteinase with various potential applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, the availability of efficient and low-cost AN-PEP remains a challenge owing to its low yield and high fermentation cost. RESULTS: Here, AN-PEP was recombinantly expressed in Trichoderma reesei (rAN-PEP) under the control of the cbh1 promoter and its secretion signal. After 4 days of shaking flask cultivation with the model cellulose Avicel PH101 as the sole carbon source, the extracellular prolyl endopeptidase activity reached up to 16.148 U/mL, which is the highest titer reported to date and the secretion of the enzyme is faster in T. reesei than in other eukaryotic expression systems including A. niger and Komagataella phaffii. Most importantly, when cultivated on the low-cost agricultural residue corn cob, the recombinant strain was found to secret a remarkable amount of rAN-PEP (37.125 U/mL) that is twice the activity under the pure cellulose condition. Furthermore, treatment with rAN-PEP during beer brewing lowered the content of gluten below the ELISA kit detection limit (< 10 mg/kg) and thereby, reduced turbidity, which would be beneficial for improving the non-biological stability of beer. CONCLUSION: Our research provides a promising approach for industrial production of AN-PEP and other enzymes (proteins) from renewable lignocellulosic biomass, which provides a new idea with relevant researchers for the utilization of agricultural residues. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12934-023-02087-1.