Prospecting the biodiversity of the fungal family Ustilaginaceae for the production of value-added chemicals

BACKGROUND: Ustilaginaceae (belonging to the smut fungi) are commonly known for their plant pathogenicity. Although these microbes lead to yield reduction of cereal production, they can also have an economically positive side. Ustilaginaceae naturally produce a versatile range of value-added chemicals with potential applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and chemical industry. RESULTS: In this study 68 Ustilaginaceae of 13 species were screened for the production of organic acids, polyols, and glycolipids from glucose to characterize their biodiversity and identify potential novel strains for biocatalysis of these valuable chemicals. Ustilago cynodontis, Ustilago maydis, Ustilago avenae, and Sporisorium exsertum were identified as promising production organisms for itaconate, malate, succinate, and erythritol, respectively. The influence of buffer concentration (pH) on acid production was investigated. Selected strains with best itaconate and malate production were characterized in more detail in bioreactor experiments obtaining total acid concentrations of up to 47 ± 1 g L(−1). CONCLUSION: The identification and detailed characterization of these producers of valuable chemicals highlights the potential of these unicellular smut fungi for industrial applications and is a further step towards the biotechnological utilization of Ustilaginaceae. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40694-014-0002-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.