Experiments on the localization and nature of tea oxidase

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The enzyme of tea leaves which is responsible for the oxidation of the tea tannins in tea fermentation is an oxidase having substrate specificity resembling that of polyphenol oxidase. The tea oxidase, unlike the polyphenol oxidase of other tissues, is normally insoluble in water or buffer soln. The oxidase activity is associated with the chloroplasts of the leaf. If the chloroplasts are broken so as to release the grana, it may be shown that the oxidase is associated with the grana. Removal of chlorophyll from the grana by extraction with acetone leaves the enzyme activity of the preparation unaffected. Soluble oxidase may be extracted in small quantities from dried grana preparations. The tea oxidase does not appear to participate in the normal leaf respiration of the tea plant.

This publication has 15 references indexed in Scilit: