Purification and properties of starch hydrolyzing enzymes in mature roots of sugar beets.

Mature roots of sugar beets, which accumulate large amounts of sucrose but not starch, nevertheless contained acid and neutral amylases, judging from their pH optima, as well as pullulanase. Acid and neutral amylases were partially purified by procedures including fractionation with ammonium sulfate, ion exchange column chromatography, and gel filtration. Acid amylase was classified as an exoamylase, since it produced only glucose from soluble starch, amylopectin. beta-limit dextrin, and rabbit liver glycogen. Neutral amylase was classified as an endoamylase, since it liberated maltose as the main product plus a small amount of glucose and oligosaccharides, and was capable of hydrolyzing beta-limit dextrin. Pullulanase was purified to apparent homogeneity by procedures including fractionation with ammonium sulfate, Diethylaminoethyl-cellulose column chromatography and affinity chromatography. Pullulanase was capable of hydrolyzing soluble starch, amylopectin, beta-limit-dextrin, and pullulan. Debranching of amylopectin was further evident by an increase in extinction coefficient, and by a shift of lambda(max) from 530 to 560 nm when the debranched amylopectin formed a complex with I(2)-KI.