Author
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Saha, Badal |
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Submitted to: Biotechnology Advances
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 5/28/2000 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Hemicellulose, the second most renewable biomass polymer next to cellulose, represents about 20-35% of biomass. Arabinose, a pentose sugar, is widely distributed in some hemicelluloses. Arabinosidase is an accessory enzyme involved in arabinose release from these substrates. The enzyme has practical applications in the efficient conversion of agricultural residues sto fuels and chemicals, removal of lignin from paper pulp for the paper industry, improvement of animal feed digestibility, clarification of fruit and vegetable juices, and improvement of aroma flavor during wine making. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the biochemistry and molecular biology of arabinosidases and their uses in biotechnology is presented. The manuscript will be of value to both academic and industrial scientists who are currently working or planning to work on hemicellulose-degrading enzymes and their applications in biotechnology. Technical Abstract: Interest in alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase has increased in recent years because of its application in the conversion of various hemicellulosic substrates to fermentable sugars for the subsequent production of fuel alcohol. Xylanase, in conjunction with alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase and other accessory enzymes, acts synergistically to degrade xylan to component tsugars. The induction of alpha-L-arabinofuranosidase production, physico-chemical characteristics, substrate specificity, and molecular biology of the enzyme are described. The current state of research and development on arabinofuranosidase and its role in biotechnology are presented. |
