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The hydrolysis of grass hemicelluloses during ensilage
Author(s) -
Dewar W. A.,
McDonald P.,
Whittenbury R.
Publication year - 1963
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.2740140610
Subject(s) - hemicellulose , lolium perenne , dactylis glomerata , lolium , cellulose , perennial plant , hydrolysis , chemistry , forage , food science , agronomy , enzymatic hydrolysis , poaceae , biology , botany , biochemistry
The production of reducing sugars, resulting from the incubation of a hemicellulose prepared from Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass), with enzymes extracted from Lolium perenne, Lolium italicum (Italian ryegrass) and Dactylis glomerata (cocksfoot) was measured over a range of temperature, pH and time. Each of the three enzymes had an optimum pH of 6 but the optimum temperature ranged from 30° to 43°. There was a significant interaction between high temperature and low pH, both tending to suppress enzyme activity. Appreciable amounts of reducing sugars were also produced from hemicelluloses by acid hydrolysis (pH 4) over a 90‐day period. Attempts to grow a number of strains of lactic acid bacteria using hemicellulose as an energy source were unsuccessful. The importance of these findings on the ensilage process is discussed.