Synthetic azo dyes have increasingly become a matter of great concern as a result of the genotoxic and mutagenic potential of the products derived from azo dye biotransformation. This work evaluates the manner in which reducing enzymes produced by Escherichia coli (E. coli) act on three disperse dyes bearing azo groups, namely Disperse Red 73 (DR 73), Disperse Red 78 (DR 78), and Disperse Red 167 (DR 167). UV-Vis spectrophotometry, high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD), and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were applied towards the identification of the main products. Seven days of incubation of the azo dyes with the tested enzymes yielded a completely bleached solution. 3-4-Aminophenyl-ethyl-amino-propanitrile was detected following the biotransformation of both DR 73 and DR 78. 4-Nitroaniline and 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline were detected upon the biotransformation of DR 73 and DR 78, respectively. The main products derived from the biotransformation of DR 167 were dimethyl 3,3'-3-acetamido-4-aminophenyl-azanedyl-dipropanoate and 2-chloro-4-nitroaniline. The results imply that DR 73 lost the CN substituent during the biotransformation. Furthermore, theoretical calculations were also carried out aiming at evaluating the interaction and reactivity of these compounds with DNA. Taken together, the results indicate that DR 73, DR 78, and DR 167 pose health risks and serious threats to both human beings and the environment at large as their biotransformation produces harmful compounds such as amines, which have been widely condemned by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Hemicellulose consists of non-cellulosic polysaccharides, with xylans and mannans as their main examples. In nature, xylan can be first degraded to xylooligosaccharides and finally to xylose by certain microorganisms. White-rot fungi basidiomycetes Pleurotus sp. BCCB068 and Pleurotus tailandia were used to degrade oat-spelts xylan under submerged fermentation for a period of 40 days. The study obtained activities of endo-1,4-β-xylanase and β-xylosidase and determination of xylan products by degradation. The fungi reached significant levels of xylan degradation by Pleurotus sp. BCCB068 (75.1%) and P. tailandia (73.4%), following formations of xylooligosaccharides and sugar monomers. These Pleurotus strains proved to be a feasible alternative for biotechnological processes related to degradation of hemicellulose sources.