Degradation of carrot (Daucus carota) fibres with cell‐wall polysaccharide‐degrading enzymes

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Carrot Daucus carota L fibres were degraded with two enzyme preparations, SP249 from Aspergillus aculeatus and Celluclast from Trichoderma reesei. The enzymic activities of these complexes indicate that SP249 was particularly active on pectic polymers, and Celluclast could degrade amorphous and crystalline cellulose. A combination of both preparations degraded carrot fibres with a synergistic effect and led to the solubilisation of 95% of the cell‐wall polysaccharides. The kinetics of solubilisation of sugars and gel‐permeation chromatography of the soluble products show that pectic polymers were rapidly solubilised and then, in a second stage, degraded mainly to monomers, whereas cellulose was more slowly hydrolysed to cellobiose and glucose. Part (67%) of the polysaccharides were saccharified, the residual soluble material being rhamnogalacturonans containing arabinose residues. Residual insoluble fibres (10% of initial weight) were not liquefied and were composed mainly of lignin, proteins and polymers of glucose, xylose and galacturonic acid.