Microbubbles and Oil Droplets Stabilized by a Class II Hydrophobin in Marinelike Environments

Hydrophobins are abundant amphipathic proteins produced by fungi. They have been interacting with oils in natural environments for millions of years; therefore, it is sensible to consider them as surfactants and dispersants for cleaning oil spills. To better understand the properties of these amphipathic proteins in seawater, a particular hydrophobin known as cerato-ulmin (CU; mass 7627 g/mol) was studied. CU is adept at forming strong membranes, as indicated by the capacity to stabilize gas-filled bubbles and oil-filled droplets with cylindrical and other nonspherical shapes. The limits of this unusual ability were tested using a wide variety of solvent conditions, including various salt solutions, alcohols, simple hydrocarbons (i.e., cyclohexane, dodecane), acids, and bases. CU concentrations ranged from 20 to 200 μg/mL. The bubbles and other structures made by CU in the presence of various gases span an enormous range of size, from nanometers to millimeters. After larger objects float to the surface, smaller structures remain, and these were found by light scattering to have a hydrodynamic diameter of ∼200 nm.

The Gushing Experience—A Quick Overview

Beer lovers all over the world like to get their drink with a certain volume of stabile foam, which mainly depends on the beer style. However, sometimes this foam comes in form of a sudden, eruptive, and uncontrolled over-foaming (gushing) of beer. Gushing occurs after the bottle has been opened, without previously being treated inappropriately (exposure to high temperatures, shaking, or any other kind of agitation). According to recent scientific and professional literature, gushing may be induced by many factors, but fungal proteins are directly connected to this phenomenon. Gushing caused by fungal proteins—hydrophobins—is called primary gushing, and depends solely on raw material quality. Other reasons for extensive foaming after the bottle has been opened can be of chemical or technological nature in the course of the brewing process. This is called secondary gushing, which can be influenced and reduced by applying good manufacturing practice protocols.

Mechanism of Nonpolar Model Substances to Inhibit Primary Gushing Induced by Hydrophobin HFBI

In this work, the interactions of a well-studied hydrophobin with different types of nonpolar model substances and their impact on primary gushing is evaluated. The nature, length, and degree of saturation of nonpolar molecules are key parameters defining the gushing ability or inhibition. When mixed with hydrophobins, the nonpolar molecule-hydrophobin assembly acts as a less gushing or no gushing system. This effect can be explained in the framework of a competition effect between non-polar systems and CO2 to interact with the hydrophobic patch of the hydrophobin. Interactions of these molecules with hydrophobins are promoted as a result of the similar size of the nonpolar molecules with the hydrophobic patch of the protein, at the expense of the formation of nanobubbles with CO2. In order to prove the presence of interactions and to unravel the mechanisms behind them, a complete set of experimental techniques was used. Surface sensitive techniques clearly show the presence of the interactions, whose nature is not covalent nor hydrogen bonding according to infrared spectroscopy results. Interactions were also reflected by particle size analysis in which mixtures of particles displayed larger size than their pure component counterparts. Upon mixing with nonpolar molecules, the gushing ability of the protein is significantly disrupted.

Hyd5 gene-based detection of the major gushing-inducing Fusarium spp. in a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay

Fusarium graminearum and the closely related F. culmorum were found to be associated with over foaming of bottled beer (gushing) when contaminated brewing malt is used. The presence of highly surface active hydrophobins produced by these fungi upon growth on wheat or barley in the field or during malting may affect bubble formation and stability in gushing beers and other carbonated beverages. Aiming for a method for the rapid and user friendly analysis of unmalted and malted cereals during quality control in the brewing industry, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for the detection of Fusarium spp. capable of producing the gushing inducing hydrophobin Hyd5p was set up. A set of primers was designed towards a 221 bp region within the hyd5 gene of F. culmorum. The LAMP product was verified by sequencing a 150 bp portion. Testing specificity with purified DNA from 99 different fungal species as well as barley and wheat showed that DNA synthesis only occurred during LAMP when DNA of the closely related species F. graminearum, F. culmorum, F. cerealis and F. lunulosporum were used as template. In-tube indirect detection of DNA amplification was applied using manganese-quenched calcein as fluorescence indicator for pyrophosphate produced during DNA synthesis. The assay had a detection limit of 0.74 pg of purified target DNA which corresponds 20 copy numbers per reaction within 30 minutes using a simple heating block. Analysis of Fusarium infected cereals revealed that the assay was able to detect F. graminearum at a level of 0.5% of infected grains in uninfected barley by analysis of surface washings without further sample preparation. Results show that the hyd5 based LAMP assay can be a rapid, useful and sensitive tool for quality control in the brewing and malting industry.