A Kinetic Method to Identify the Optimum Temperature for β-glucanase Activity

  • F. Venturi Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-industriali, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
  • G. Andrich Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-industriali, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
  • M.F. Quartacci Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-industriali, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
  • C. Sanmartin Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-industriali, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
  • L. Andrich Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-industriali, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
  • A. Zinnai Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Agro-industriali, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy

Abstract

Enzymatic preparations containing β-glucanases are largely utilised in winemaking to facilitate the
filtration of musts and wines coming from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, and to induce the release
of mannoproteins and oligosaccharides from the cell wall of yeasts. The aim of the present work was to
investigate the effect of temperature on β-glucanase activity. For this purpose, the kinetic activity of a
commercial enzymatic preparation containing β-glucanases was tested utilising a model solution (buffer
solution of β-glucan extracted from alcoholic yeasts with a pH similar to a must/wine, with or without 13%
ethanol added) at different temperatures ranging from 20 to 40°C. By an innovative procedure based on a
kinetic model able to describe the time evolution of D-glucose accumulation – the final product of β-glucan
hydrolysis – it was possible to relate the maximum rate of this process to temperature. The temperature at
which the enzymatic activity showed the maximum value (Tmax) was close to 30°C, without any substantial
variation following ethanol addition. Indeed, in spite of a remarkable reduction (of about 66%) in the
catalytic activity shown by the commercial enzymatic preparation, no significant variation of the Tmax
was observed, suggesting that the presence of an inhibitor such as ethanol in the reaction medium did not
change the sensibility of the enzymes to temperature.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Published
2013-08-23
Section
Articles