Chemiluminescence from bamboo shoot cut.

Bamboo shoot cut emitted weak light, which could be visualized with a two dimensional imaging system. A water extract of bamboo shoot contained tyrosine (a major component of total amino acids), bityrosine and peroxidase. Bamboo shoot peroxidase-H2O2-tyrosine system also emitted weak light with maxima at 490nm, 530nm and longer wavelength, identical to that in horseradish peroxidase-H2O2 system. Judging from these results, chemiluminescence from bamboo shoot cut might be originated from excited species generated by enzymatic oxidation of tyrosine and bityrosine.