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The reported lecithinase activity of egg yolk and dried egg
Author(s) -
Lea C. H.,
Wilson R. A. L.
Publication year - 1955
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740060306
Subject(s) - yolk , lecithin , lecithinase , phospholipase , enzyme , choline , biochemistry , phosphatidic acid , chemistry , phosphorylcholine , food science , phosphatidylcholine , phospholipase c , biology , phospholipid , membrane
Acker, Diemair & Jäger have reported the presence in spray‐dried whole egg and egg yolk of an enzyme capable of rapidly decomposing lecithin with the liberation of choline but not of fatty acids, and have pointed out the similarity of this enzyme to the phospholipase D In this paper the enzyme that hydrolyses lecithin to phosphorylcholine and a diglyceride is referred to as phospholipase C, and that which produces choline and a phosphatidic acid as phospholipase D. Some authors, e.g. Hanahan & Vercamer, 6 reverse these definitions. recently discovered in carrots and other vegetables. We have been unable to confirm the existence of any considerable lecithinase activity in fresh egg yolk or in spray‐dried whole egg of good quality and suggest that the observed results may have been due to the action of microbial enzymes, possibly phospholipase C, present in the samples examined by the German workers.