Enzymatic formation of ether linkage producing shoyuflavones from genistein and (+/-)-trans-epoxysuccinic acid.

The production mechanism of shoyuflavones, conjugated ethers of isoflavones with tartaric acid and isolated from fermented soy sauce, was studied. In the high molecular weight fraction of the culture extract of Aspergillus oryzae, genistein was transformed into shoyuflavone B in the presence of (+/-)-trans-epoxysuccinic acid but not in the low molecular one. Asp. sojae and Asp. tamarii showed high activity similar to Asp. oryzae but none of Asp. niger, Rhizopus oligosporus, and Mucor praini did. The contents of epoxysuccinic acids in the starting materials of soy sauce and the cultures of various Asp. fungi were determined as dimethyl 2-chloro-3-hydroxysuccinate derivatives by GC-MS. Although epoxysuccinic acids were contained in Asp. oryzae, Asp. sojae, and Asp. tamarii cultures, they were not found in soybeans and wheat. A possible producing mechanism for shoyuflavones by enzymatically conjugating isoflavones to (+/-)-trans-epoxysuccinic acid with ether linkage was suggested.