Color and Toxicity Removal following Tyrosinase-Catalyzed Oxidation of Phenols

The products of phenol oxidation catalyzed by mushroom tyrosinase (polyphenol oxidase, EC 1.14.18.1) were assessed in terms of their residual color and toxicity. The addition of aluminum sulfate had little effect on the removal of colored products from phenol solutions treated with tyrosinase. Although chitosan was used successfully to remove the color when added before the reaction initiation or after the reaction completion, the required dose of chitosan was lower when it was added after the reaction. In this case, the minimum doses of chitosan required to achieve 90% color removal were proportional to the logarithm of the initial concentration of phenol. The color removal induced by chitosan addition appeared to be the result of chemical interaction followed by a coagulation mechanism. All treated solutions of phenol and chlorophenols, except 2,4-dichlorophenol, had substantially lower toxicities than their corresponding initial toxicities, as measured using the Microtox assay. Chitosan addition significantly enhanced the reduction in toxicity. The toxicities of the phenol solutions treated with tyrosinase were markedly lower than previously reported toxicities of solutions treated with peroxidase enzymes.