Carbohydrate Digestion by the Larval Midgut of Heliothis zea1

Abstract
Ten of 13 selected substrates were hydrolyzed by crude extracts of midguts from larvae of Heliothis zea (Boddie). Sucrose was the most readily hydrolyzed; raffinose, melezitose, trehalose, glycogen, starch, melibiose, maltose, inulin, and α-methyl glucoside were less readily hydrolyzed. Cellulose, cellobiose, and lactose were not hydrolyzed. The pH optimum for each substrate was determined. Thin-layer chromatography showed that a β-fructosidase occurs in the midgut. Sucrase activity and pH of gut contents were determined each day for 5- to 11-day-old larvae.

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