Norathyriol is an aglycone of a xanthonoid C-glycoside mangiferin that possesses different bioactive properties useful for humans compared to mangiferin. Mangiferin is more readily available in nature than norathyriol; thus, efficient mangiferin conversion into norathyriol is desirable. There are a few reports regarding mangiferin C-deglycosylation because of the C-C bond resistance toward acid, alkaline, and enzyme hydrolysis. In this study, we isolated a mangiferin-deglycosylating bacterium strain KM7-1 from the mouse intestine. 16S rDNA sequencing indicated that KM7-1 belongs to the Bacillus genus. Compared to the taxonomically similar bacteria, the growth characteristic of facultative anaerobic and thermophilic resembled, yet only Bacillus sp. KM7-1 was able to convert mangiferin into norathyriol. Resting cells of Bacillus sp. KM7-1 obtained from aerobic cultivation at 50 °C showed high norathyriol formation from 1 m m of mangiferin. Norathyriol formation can be conducted either under aerobic or anaerobic conditions, and the reaction depended on time and bacterial amount.
