Invertase inhibitors from red beet, sugar beet, and sweet potato roots.

Invertase inhibitors have been isolated and partially purified from red beets, sugar beets, and sweet potatoes. These inhibitors are thermolabile proteins with molecular weights of 18,000 to 23,000. They do not inhibit yeast and Neurospora invertases, but they are reactive with potato tuber invertase and other plant invertases with pH optima near 4.5. There are differences in reactivity of the inhibitors with some of the plant invertases, however. For most invertases, red beet and sugar beet inhibitors are most effective at pH 4.5 while sweet potato inhibitor is most effective at pH 5.