Partial purification, heat stability and kinetic characterization of the pectinmethylesterase from Brazilian guava, Paluma cultivars

Sequence, structure and functionality of pectin methylesterases and their use in sustainable carbohydrate bioproducts: A review

Pectin methylesterases (PMEs) are enzymes that play a critical role in modifying pectins, a class of complex polysaccharides in plant cell walls. These enzymes catalyze the removal of methyl ester groups from pectins, resulting in a change in the degree of esterification and consequently, the physicochemical properties of the polymers. PMEs are found in various plant tissues and organs, and their activity is tightly regulated in response to developmental and environmental factors. In addition to the biochemical modification of pectins, PMEs have been implicated in various biological processes, including fruit ripening, defense against pathogens, and cell wall remodelling. This review presents updated information on PMEs, including their sources, sequences and structural diversity, biochemical properties and function in plant development. The article also explores the mechanisms of PME action and the factors influencing enzyme activity. In addition, the review highlights the potential applications of PMEs in various industrial sectors related to biomass exploitation, food, and textile industries, with a focus on development of bioproducts based on eco-friendly and efficient industrial processes.

The Preparation and Potential Bioactivities of Modified Pectins: A Review

Pectins are complex polysaccharides that are widely found in plant cells and have a variety of bioactivities. However, the high molecular weights (Mw) and complex structures of natural pectins mean that they are difficult for organisms to absorb and utilize, limiting their beneficial effects. The modification of pectins is considered to be an effective method for improving the structural characteristics and promoting the bioactivities of pectins, and even adding new bioactivities to natural pectins. This article reviews the modification methods, including chemical, physical, and enzymatic methods, for natural pectins from the perspective of their basic information, influencing factors, and product identification. Furthermore, the changes caused by modifications to the bioactivities of pectins are elucidated, including their anti-coagulant, anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and anti-bacterial activities and the ability to regulate the intestinal environment. Finally, suggestions and perspectives regarding the development of pectin modification are provided.

Biochemical Characterization and Molecular Insights into Substrate Recognition of Pectin Methylesterase from Phytophthora Infestans

Pectin methylesterases (PMEs) are a class of carbohydrate-active enzymes that act on the O6-methyl ester groups of the homogalacturonan component of pectins, resulting in de-esterification of the substrate polymers and formation of pectate and methanol. PMEs occur in higher plants and microorganisms, including fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, and archaea. Microbial PMEs play a crucial role in pathogens’ invasion of plant tissues. Here, we have determined the structural and functional properties of Pi-PME, a PME from the oomycete plant pathogen Phytophthora infestans. This enzyme exhibits maximum activity at alkaline pH (8.5) and is active over a wide temperature range (25–50 °C). In silico determination of the structure of Pi-PME reveals that the protein consists essentially of three parallel β-sheets interconnected by loops that adopt an overall β-helix organization. The loop regions in the vicinity of the active site are extended compared to plant and fungal PMEs, but they are shorter than the corresponding bacterial and insect regions. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed that Pi-PME interacts most strongly with partially de-methylated homogalacturonans, suggesting that it preferentially uses this type of substrates. The results are compared and discussed with other known PMEs from different organisms, highlighting the specific features of Pi-PME.

Extraction and characterization of pectin methylesterase from muskmelon biowaste for pectin remodeling

Pectin methylesterase (PME) extracted from muskmelon was purified by anion exchange chromatography. The specific activity of purified enzyme was 152.01 U/mg and relative molecular weight was ~69,000 Da. Methylesterase was characterized for various physicochemical factors to designate its suitability in the food industry applications. The optimum temperature of the enzyme was 30°C and is thermally stable between the temperature ranges of 15-65°C with critical temperature for stability being >65°C. Thermal inactivation first order kinetics and thermodynamic parameters in temperature range (45-65°C) favors stability of PME and at 75°C complete inactivation of enzyme was observed indicating the unstable nature of enzyme over >65°C. Activation energy (E_a ) and Z values of thermal inactivation were found to be 100.108 kJ/mol and 2.05°C, respectively. About 0.1 M NaCl is essential for enzyme to attain the maximum activity. The enzyme lost activity in presence of divalent calcium (Ca²⁺ ) and magnesium (Mg²⁺ ) ions. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Pectin methylesterase (EC3.1.1.11) are an important class of enzymes expressed in plants and microbes and they bring about the de-methylesterification on pectin substrate. Up to ~13% degree of esterification of pectin was observed with muskmelon PME enzyme treatment. The de-methylesterified pectin thus prepared was subjected for gelation in presence of Ca²⁺ ions and above 0.5% of demethylesterified pectin stable calcium pectate gels were produced. The study demonstrates the suitability of muskmelon PME extracted from biowaste in food applications with good gelling property.

Kinetics of inactivation of quality-deteriorating enzymes and degradation of selective phytoconstituents in pink guava pulp during thermal processing

Thermal inactivation kinetics of peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), pectin methyl esterase (PME) and ascorbate oxidase (AO) were studied over the temperature range of 45-85 °C along with the degradation kinetics of ascorbic acid (AA) and lycopene in Psidium guajava pulp. POD, PPO, PME and AO followed first-order kinetics whereas AA degradation data was explained by pseudo first-order kinetics. Lycopene degradation was suitably fitted in an exponential model, indicating continuous degradation of lycopene and higher degradation at higher temperature. Activation energy (Ea) of POD, PPO, PME, and AO was 63.79 ± 1.28, 60.36 ± 1.21, 63.22 ± 1.06 and 106.33 ± 8.51 kJ/mol, respectively. AA had Ea (95.82 ± 1.92 kJ/mol) higher than lycopene (54.92 ± 1.10 kJ/mol). PME (Z = 39.4 ± 0.1 °C) showed highest heat stability while AO (Z = 14.3 ± 1.1 °C) was least stable amongst the enzymes studied. AA (Z = 23.5 ± 0.5 °C) was weakest amongst the phytoconstituents in guava pulp and its retention was challenged during thermal processing. The thermal resistance of quality deteriorating enzyme of guava was found to be higher than that of the common spoilage organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum reported for processed fruit products. Thus, this research hints towards the need for more robust thermal processing for inactivation of quality deteriorating enzymes.

Purification and Characterization of a Salt-Dependent Pectin Methylesterase from Carica papaya Fruit Mesocarp-Exocarp Tissue

Pectin methylesterase (PME) is a ubiquitous cell wall enzyme, which de-esterifies and modifies pectins for food applications. Functional properties of pectin rely on molecular weight and degree of esterification, and thus de-esterification by PME influences the pectin functionality. The main aim of the study is to purify and biochemically characterize PME from the outer mesocarp-exocarp tissue of unripe Carica papaya L. fruit. The ion-exchange and gel-permeation chromatography purified enzyme exhibited a specific activity of 2363.1 ± 92.8 units/mg protein, with a fold purification of 10.6, and final recovery of 9.0%. The PME showed a low apparent mass of 27 kDa by SDS-PAGE. The optimal activity of purified PME was found at pH 7.0, and at 60 °C. The enzyme is fairly stable at 60 °C for 10 min, retaining 60% activity. The optimum activity was found with 0.25 mol/L monovalent salts indicating that this PME is salt-dependent. The K_m of PME was 0.22 mg/mL, and the V_max value was 1289.15 ± 15.9 units/mg. The increase in the calcium sensitivity of the PME-treated pectin indicated a blockwise mode of action. The PME significantly differs from other known plant PMEs in their biochemical properties. Manual inspection and MASCOT searching of generated tryptic peptides confirmed no homology to known papaya PME sequences. The preliminary results indicate that the papaya PME can be potentially utilized to modify pectin functionality at elevated temperature. However, further investigation is required to understand the usefulness of this enzyme for the modification of pectins for various food applications.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

In this work, a small, 27 kDa papaya PME was purified by ion-exchange and gel-permeation chromatography and biochemically characterized. The papaya PME significantly differs from other known plant PMEs in their biochemical properties. The preliminary results like fair thermostability coupled with high temperature optimum indicate that the papaya PME can be potentially utilized to modify pectin functionality at high temperature. Modification of pectin functionality at elevated temperatures is advantageous since it evades the detrimental action of other pectinolytic enzymes.

Partial purification and characterization of the quality deteriorating enzymes from Indian pink guava (Psidium guajava L.), var. Lalit

Peroxidase (POD), polyphenol oxidase (PPO), ascorbate oxidase (AO) and pectin methylesterase (PME) from 'Lalit' guava variety have been purified using BioGel P-100 and UNOsphere Q resins. POD, PPO, AO, and PME were partially purified to 28, 30, 36 and 30 fold; single band on SDS-PAGE represented a molecular weight of 21, 70, 75, 50 kDa, respectively. Optimum pH for POD and AO was 6.5 whereas, PPO and PME showed optimum pH in the alkaline range of pH 8.0 and 8.5, respectively. AO showed optimum activity at 25 °C, POD and PPO showed optimum activity at 35 °C; however, PME showed maximum activity at 55 °C. AO was the most heat labile whereas, PME was the most heat stable enzyme studied and may carry an important role in the thermal processing of guava pulp as an indicator of the efficacy of treatment.

Extraction and characterization of pectin methylesterase from Alyanak apricot (Prunus armeniaca L)

This study was carried out to determine some of the biochemical properties of pectin methylesterase (PME) from Alyanak apricot which is an important variety grown in Malatya region of Turkey. The enzyme had high activity in a pH range of 7.0-8.0 with the maximal activity occurring at pH 7.5. However, the enzyme activity at high and low pH values was very low. The optimum temperature for maximal PME activity was found to be 60 °C. The activity of PME has been enhanced by NaCl, particularly at 0.15 M. Km and Vmax values for Alyanak apricot PME using apple pectin as substrate were found to be 1.69 mg/mL (r(2) = 0.992) and 3.41 units/mL, respectively. The enzyme was stable at 30-45 °C/10 min whereas it lost nearly all of its activity at 80 °C/10 min. Ea and Z values were found to be 206.1 kJ/mol (r(2) = 0.993) and 10.62 °C (r(2) = 0.992), respectively.

Inactivation of apple pectin methylesterase induced by dense phase carbon dioxide

The inactivation of apple pectin methylesterase (PME) with dense phase carbon dioxide (DPCD) combined with temperatures (35-55 degrees C) is investigated. DPCD increases the susceptibility of apple PME to the temperatures and the pressures have a noticeable effect on apple PME activity. A labile and stable fraction of apple PME is present and the inactivation kinetics of apple PME by DPCD is adequately described by a two-fraction model. The kinetic rate constants k L and k S of labile and stable fractions are 0.890 and 0.039 min (-1), and the decimal reduction times D L and D S are 2.59 and 58.70 min at 30 MPa and 55 degrees C. Z T representing temperature increase needed for a 90% reduction of the D value and the activation energy E a of the labile fraction at 30 MPa is 22.32 degrees C and 86.88 kJ /mol, its Z P representing pressure increase needed for a 90% reduction of the D value and the activation volume V a at 55 degrees C is 21.75 MPa and -288.38 cm (3)/mol. The residual activity of apple PME after DPCD exhibits no reduction or reactivation for 4 weeks at 4 degrees C.