INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
102
LITERaTURE C I T E D
(1) Baker a n d Hulton, J. SOC.Chem. ind., 27, 368 (1908). (2) Baker a n d Hulton, J . Chem. SOC.,105, 1529 (1911). (3) Brown a n d Morris, I b i d . , 57, 508 (1890). (4) Collatz, A m . inst. Baking, Bull. 9 (1922). (5) Collatz a n d Racke, Cereal Chem., 2, 213 (1925). (6) Ford and Guthrie, J. SOC.Chem. Ind., 27, 389 (1908). (7) Ford a n d Guthrie, J . 1 m t . Brewing, 14, 61 (1908). (8) Gore, IND. ESG.CHEM.,20, 865 (1928).
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(9) J6zsa a n d Gore, ibid.. Anal. Ed.. 2. 26 (1930). (10) Olson, Wash. Agr. Expt. S t a . , &U.' 114.' (11) Rumsey, Am. Inst. Baking,Bull. 8 (1922). (12) Sherman, Thomas, a n d Baldwin, J . A m . Chem. Soc., 41, 231 (1919'. RECEIVED July 13, 1931. Presented before the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry a t the 79th Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Atlanta, Ga , April 7 to 11 1930.
Diastatic Enzymes in Certain Foods H. C. GORE. ~ N DS. JO/zs.&,Fleischmann Laboralories, Standard Brands, Znc., ;Vew York, N . Y
A
LTHOUGH the power to liquefy starch paste is usually considered a specific function of diastase, only recently has i t been possible readily to measure this property with a satisfactory degree of exactness. The new method (5) is rapid and exact, and its results are expressed directly in terms of substrate (anhydrous starch) and enzyme. Thus, a liquefying power of 100 means that 100 parts of dry starch in the form of standard starch paste are liquefied b y 1 part of enzyme sample under the prescribed conditions. The object of the work here reported was to obtain an idea of the distribution of the diastatic enzymes, especially the starch-liquefying enzyme, in various food crops, a t the same time measuring the influence of salt. I n determining the liquefying power of the samples, 20 grams of fine-ground seeds or 50 grams of fine-ground vegetables were digested with 100 cc. of water alone and with 100 cc. of water containing 5 grams of sodium chloride per liter for 1 hour at room temperature. The solutions were then filtered and the liquefying power was determined in the usual manner. TABLE
I.
STARCH
SEED^
LIQUEFYIVG Ahiu S 4 C C H A R I F Y I V C SEEDS LIQUEFYING Pon E R Wlthout Wlth NaCl NaCl
PORER OF
S i C C H i S I t YISG
POWER Without With NaCl NaCl 0 L. L. 121, 115 Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive Inactive 76 6 !1 2 67 64
4.36 4.00 Soy beans, Mammoth Yellow 0.90 1.15 Cow peas black-eye 0.30 1.00 Peas Hedderson's New Jubilant 1.25 0.10 Bean's Scarlet Runner, pole 2.10 1.25 White'lupines 3.20 3.60 Lentils 1.35 0.90 Japanese buckwheat 4.35 4.60 Kafir corn 3.20 2.60 Rioe Blue Rose" 2.76 2.10 Field corn, New Eureka. Dent 2.10 1.65 Field corn, Flint Longfellow 2.35 1.40 Sweet corn Golden Bantam 0.25 0.65 Sweet corn: Stowell's Everareen 5.75 7 80 Spring rye 2 30 0.90 Oats, Storm King 5,40 3.45 Barley ... 160 90.0 164.0 Malted barley 96 5 15 78 3.40 Wheat, spring, Marquis a Seed rice, supplied by Chambllss, U 9 Department of .Igriculture
In determining the saccharifying power, 5 grains of fineground sample were digested for 1 hour a t room temperature with 100 cc. of water alone, and, if the sample showed diastatic activity, with 100 cc. of water containing 0.5 gram of sodium chloride, the procedure already outlined by the writers (-?) was followed. The products used were not previously sterilized, nor Tvac toluene or other preservative used during these digestions. It is possible, therefore, that some of the activities measured were due to microiirganisms. The results are given in Tables I and 11.
All the seeds and vegetables showed marked liquefying action of starch paste, varying from 0.10 for Scarlet Runner beans t o 5.75 for rye. The high liquefying activity of unmalted rye is interesting because malted rye is known ( I ) to have the highest liquefying power recorded for malted grains. I n all products tested, except cow peas, the presence of salt increased the liquefying power. With potatoes this increase was only slight (0.26 to 0.42). With other materials it was very great, the liquefying power of Scarlet Runner beans, for example, increasing from 0.1 to 1.25. Of the legumes listed, soy beans alone exhibited any saccharifying poaer. Here, however, the activity found, 121' L., was of the same order as that of barley and malt. Buckwheat, kafir corn, field and sweet corn, and rice were substantially lacking in saccharifying power, and oats showed only 1" L. Salt increased the saccharifying power in all the active materials except that from soy beans. The results as a whole reveal a n ability to liquefy starch paste widely distributed in food plants. Whether this liquefaction is the action of a phosphatase (6) or a necessary step in the digestion of starch by the saccharifying enzymes of plants and animals is nat known. This function of diastase is of great importance in the digestion of starch because of the enormous quantities of starch metabolized by plants and animals. The cause of the influence of salt is unknown. LIQUEFYIXG AND SACCHARIFYING POWER OF TABLE 11. STARCH VEGETABLES TEGET~BLES Jersey potatoes Turnip rutabaga Parsnips New potatoes Carrots a S o activity.
LIQUEFYINQ POWER S4CCHARIFYINQ POWER Without With Without With NaCl NaCl NaCl NaCl L. L. 1.48 2.14 36 !l .. 2.64 2.84 1.10
0.26 0.40
1.60
0.42
0.78
.. ..
From the data here given the saccharifying power seems to be far less widely distributed in plant products than the liquefying power of diastase.
LITERATURE CITED (1) Chrzaazcz, T., Wochschr. Brau., 30, 538 (1913). (2) Effront, "The Enzymes and Their Application," 1901. (3) Gore, ISD.E x G . C H m f . , 20, 865 (1928). (4) Hesse, "Enzyrn. Tech. Gahrungs I n d . , " IS (1929). ($5) J6zsa a n d Gore, ISD. ESG. CHEM.,Anal. Ed., 2, 26 (1930). (6) Ohlsson, 2. phi/siol. ChenL., 119 (1922). ( i )Pawlowski-Doermens, "Brau. Tech. Untera. Methoden," Munich a n d Berlin, 1927. RECEIVED July 13, 1931. Presented before the Division of Agricdtural and Food Chemistry a t the 79tn Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Atlanta, Ga.. April 7 to 11. 1930.
