Formation of polyhydroxylated isoflavones from the isoflavones genistein and biochanin a by bacteria isolated from tempe

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0031-9422(98)80069-1

Two tempe-derived bacterial strains identified as Micrococcus or Arthrobacter species were shown to transform the 5-hydroxyisoflavones biochanin A and genistein to polyhydroxylated isoflavones by hydroxylation reactions at positions C-6 and C-8. Both strains transformed genistein to 5,6,7,4'-tetrahydroxyisoflavone and 5,7,8,4'-tetrahydroxyisoflavone and biochanin A to 4'-methoxy-5,7,8,-trihydroxyisoflavone, whereas only strain I converted biochanin A to 4'-methoxy-5,6,7-trihydroxyisoflavone. The structures of these transformation products were elucidated by spectroscopic techniques.