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The Hidden Power of Plant Cell Walls: How Do Pectin Lyases Affect Our Food?
With in-depth research on food science, pectin lyase has gradually received widespread attention. This complex structural polysaccharase is present in the cell walls of plants and plays an important role in the degradation of pectin and its use in different biotechnological and industrial applications. But how does this power hidden in plant cells affect our food?
Basic introduction to pectin lyase
Based on the chemical reaction catalyzed by the enzyme, the EC number of pectin lyase is 4.2.2.10. This enzyme breaks glycosidic bonds within plant cell walls to generate unsaturated products, thereby participating in multiple biological processes, such as fruit ripening and plant cell wall remodeling.
Main functions and applications
Pectin lyase is not only involved in the degradation of plant materials, but is also widely used in the food industry and biotechnology.
Many organisms contain pectin lyase, especially during fruit ripening, such as citrus, water apples and pumpkins. These plants produce internal pectin-lyase enzymes during ripening that facilitate the analysis of pectin within the cell wall. In addition, citrus, fruit and peel wastes are considered important sources of pectin, which are often produced in the food industry as a by-product of juice production.
Chemical properties of pectin
Pectin exhibits different chemical behaviors depending on the conditions in which it is exposed. When exposed to acidic or alkaline environments, pectin is capable of ester hydrolysis or glycosidic bond cleavage to produce galacturonic acid and alcohols. When pectin is under specific conditions of low pH and high sugar concentration, it can form a gel with sugar, acid or calcium ions. This property is widely used in the pharmaceutical and food fields as a thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier. .
Pectin plays an important role in the production of medical, cosmetic and health products, especially for health problems such as diabetes and obesity.
Research on crystal structure
Pectin lyase A (PNLA) comes from two different Aspergillus niger strains. Its crystal structure shows a parallel β-segment structure and is similar to several structural features of pectin lyase. These studies are critical to understanding how pectin lyases operate efficiently and further advance our knowledge of plant cell walls.
Characteristics of active sites
Each enzyme has its active site, which is a specific area where substrates bind and undergo chemical reactions. The active site of pectin lyase contains specific amino acid residues that help catalyze the cleavage of glycosidic bonds and ensure substrate specificity and stability of reaction intermediates.
Importance in biotechnology
Pectin lyases play a key role in many biotechnological applications, such as the textile industry, paper manufacturing, and juice clarification.
This enzyme can efficiently break the pectin molecular skeleton to produce pectic oligosaccharides. This process not only reduces the production of toxic methanol, but also increases efficiency and reduces by-products. The application of pectin lyase in juice clarification in the food industry has also attracted widespread attention. Many reports have mentioned that it can effectively remove impurities in juice and improve the quality of drinks.
Future development direction
Although the current research on pectin lyase is gradually in-depth, it still needs further exploration in some areas, such as the application of pectin lyase in the fading process of fibers. In the future, with the development of science and technology, pectin lyase may find new application opportunities in more industries and contribute to sustainable development.
So how will pectin lyase change our understanding of food and how it is processed?
