title: Detection of uronic oxidase activity in ripening peaches.
abstract: Uronic acid oxidase activity was found in an extract from harvested peaches that was incubated with citrus pectin at pH 8.5. The product of this reaction was identified by GC-MS analysis to be galactaric acid. The reaction was linear at 37 degrees C for up to 20 h, and the pH optimum was 8.5. The activity found in firm peaches one day after harvest did not change as the peaches softened over 5 days to eating softness. The incubation conditions were those suitable for monitoring the activity of pectate lyase, but instead of finding an increase in galacturonosyl residue reducing groups due to generation of pectin-derived oligosaccharides, uronic acid oxidase catalyzed the oxidation of the aldehyde reducing functions to carboxyl groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cantu
authors.forename: L Carl
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Greve
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lurie
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Labavitch
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D002384:Catalysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000201:enzymology*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000032:analysis*; D027861:Prunus / Q000201:enzymology*; D013400:Sugar Acids / Q000138:chemical synthesis; D013997:Time Factors; D014574:Uronic Acids / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D013400:Sugar Acids; D014574:Uronic Acids; C000090:galactaric acid; D010088:Oxidoreductases