Abstract: A thermophilic fungus, named HBFH10, was isolated from Luzhou-flavor Daqu and identified as Rhizopus microsporus. A new β-mannanase gene (RmMan134) from Rhizopus microsporus HBHF10, was cloned using degenerate primers, expressed, and characterized. The cloned RmMan134 gene had a total length of 552 bp without introns, encoding 183 amino acids and one stop codon. The expressed enzyme was composed of one signal peptide sequence of 19 amino acid residues and the catalytic region of the GH134 family. The optimal pH and temperature for the recombinant enzyme were 6.0 and 50 ℃, respectively. It had high thermal and pH stability. Its molecular mass was estimated to be approximately 18.5 kDa, and it was a glycosylated molecule. When konjac gum was used as the substrate, the Km and Vmax values of RmMan134 were 0.66 mg/mL and 57.1 μmol/(min·mg), respectively. RmMan134 exhibited the best clarification efficiency for orange juice, resulting in a 23.8% increase in its clarity, followed apple juice (11%) and peach juice (7%). Moreover, RmMan134 significantly increased the yield of grape juice by about 7%. Overall, RmMan134 has good application prospects in juice processing.

Key words: Daqu; thermophilic fungus; Rhizopus microsporus; mannanase; GH134 family; juice processing