Occurrence and Some Characterization Studies of Invertase in the Green Plantain Fruit (Musa parasidiaca)

Abstract

The crude-protein fraction of green plantains was isolated and found to cause an inversion of sucrose solutions. The rate of inversion of sucrose by the invertase of the green plantain is proportional to the concentration of enzyme. The inversion of sucrose, when catalyzed by green-plantain invertase, appears to follow a first-order reaction rate at low substrate concentrations (below 6 percent). As the concentration of sucrose exceeds 6 percent the rate of the reaction changes to zero order. An optimum pH of 4.15 and an optimum temperature of 44.4° C. were obtained for the activity of green-plantain invertase.