Effect of an Antisense Pectin Methylesterase Gene on the Chemistry of Pectin in Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) Juice

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry Vol. 44; no. 2; pp. 628 - 630
• Main Authors: Thakur, Beli R, Singh, Rakesh K, Handa, Avtar K
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Chemical Society 19.02.1996
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biological and medical sciences; CALIDAD; Food industries; Fruit and vegetable industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; GENE; GENES; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; JUGO DE HORTALIZAS; JUS DE LEGUME; LYCOPERSICON ESCULENTUM; MOLECULAR WEIGHT; PECTINAS; PECTINE; PECTINESTERASAS; PECTINESTERASE; PECTINS; PESO MOLECULAR; PLANTAS TRANSGENICAS; PLANTE TRANSGENIQUE; POIDS MOLECULAIRE; QUALITE; QUALITY; TOMATE; TOMATOES; TRANSGENIC PLANTS; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims; VEGETABLE JUICES; Yield, quality, earliness, varia; Property composition relationship; Enzyme; Vegetable juice; Esterases; Pectin; Tomato; Carboxylic ester hydrolases; Manufacturing process; Hydrolases; Chemical composition; Transgenic plant; Vegetable; Pectinesterase
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf950461h

Pectins in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) juice processed from transgenic fruits with reduced levels of pectin methylesterase activity and from control fruits were characterized for total uronic acid, degree of methoxylation (DOM), and molecular mass. The molecular weights of pectins isolated from transgenic fruit juice are much higher than the molecular weights of pectins isolated from control fruit juice under all processing conditions. Depending on processing conditions, juice from transgenic fruits contained 30−50% higher amounts of total uronic acids and had 25−250% higher DOM compared to juice from control fruits. Keywords: Lycopersicon esculentum; tomato juice; pectin methylesterase; transgenic