Document Type : Articles
Authors
Department of Food Science, College of Agriculture and Forestry, Mosul University, Iraq.
Abstract
The present study was undertaken to evaluate the characteristics of pectin methylesterase produced from Aspergillus niger. The enzyme had a molecular weight of 59.668 kDa. The enzyme exhibited maximum activity at 45°C. The enzyme lost most of its initial activity after 20 min of incubation at 75°C. Optimal activity and stability of the enzyme occurred at pH 4, with more than 90 % of retained activity after 10 min at pH 5. Michaelis constant (Km) was found equal to (1) mg/ml, whereas, maximum velocity (Vmax) was (1000) μmol/min. The catalyzed reaction by pectin methylesterase had activation energy equal to 9.66 Kcal/mol. The enzyme lost 24% and 13% of its initial activity during two months of storage at4°C and -20 °C, respectively. The enzyme was activated by NaCl, KCl and CaCl2 at concentration of 25 mM and inhibited by MgSO4, polygalacturonic acid, methanol, IAA and EDTA.
Keywords
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