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A culture enrichment technique was used to isolate phytase-producing microorganisms. Also, microorganisms from various culture collections were tested for their phytase-producing ability. A number of the Aspergillus niger group produced extracellular phytase which dephosphorylated calcium phytate in acidic solution. A soil isolate, A. ficuum NRRL 3135, produced the most active phytase in a cornstarch-based medium. Production of phytase was strongly repressed by inorganic phosphates and required a high carbon to phosphorus ratio in the medium.

Two types of extracellular acid phosphatases are synthesized by Aspergillus ficuum NRRL 3135: a nonspecific orthophosphoric monoester phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.3.2) with an optimum pH of 2.0, and an enzyme with restricted specificity, a mesoinositol-hexaphosphate phosphohydrolase (EC 3.1.3.8; phytase) with an optimum pH of 5.5. Although the pH 5.5 enzyme is termed a phytase, both enzymes hydrolyze phytin. Synthesis of the enzymes is repressed by high orthophosphate concentrations in the fermentation medium. The highest total level for each enzyme is synthesized in low orthophosphate medium. In high orthophosphate medium, more pH 5.5 enzyme is produced than pH 2.0 enzyme. In low orthophosphate medium, more pH 5.5 enzyme is produced than pH 2.0 enzyme during the early stages of growth, but the reverse occurs after 5 days. The enzymes are differentiated by heat denaturation at acid and alkaline pH levels. They are separated into two distinct fractions on Sephadex G-100 followed by carboxymethylcellulose column chromatography. This indicates that the two enzymes are structurally different. The K(m) for both enzymes is 1.25 mm when calcium phytate is the substrate. Orthophosphate competitively inhibits the pH 2.0 (K(i) = 1.1 x 10(-2)m) but not the pH 5.5 phosphatase. Neither enzyme is denatured by 50% (w/v) urea or inhibited by 0.01 m tartrate. Thus, they differ from human prostatic phosphatase.