The Metabolism of Ethanol in Germinating Pea Seedlings

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Abstract
Considerable losses of ethanol occurred during the germination of green pea seeds which could not be ascribed to losses due to the volatility of the alcohol. Changes in the contents of acetaldehyde, acetone, organic acids, and in the gas exchanges suggested that the alcohol was oxidatively metabolized. Feeding ethanol to slices of pea cotyledon tissue also indicated ethanol conversion to acetaldehyde and the interconversion of acetaldehyde and acetone. Feeding ethanol 2:14C to the slices confirmed that the ethanol was metabolized, giving similar changes in the content of carbonyl compounds and organic acids to those observed in the intact germinating pea seedlings. Thus the endogenous ethanol which accumulated when pea seed imbibed water prior to germination may be metabolized subsequently by the germinating seedling.