Cereal Chem 69:436-439   |  VIEW ARTICLE

Variability of Alpha-Amylase Synthesis in Germinating Maize.

C. A. Knutson and M. J. Grove. Copyright 1992 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Alpha-amylases from germinating seeds of five maize genotypes were isolated by affinity chromatography and chromatofocusing for comparison with enzymes from cultivar B73, which contains four major groups of enzymes separable by these techniques: B-I and B-II have elution pH greater than 5.0; B-III has elution pH of 4.5-4.8; and B-IV has elution pH of 4.0-4.1. These four groups exhibit three specific patterns of hydrolysis on soluble starch, differing primarily in the proportion of degree of polymerization (DP) of 2 and DP6 oligosaccharides produced. Enzyme groups found in other cultivars were the same as those found in B73, but the amount of synthesis of the different groups varied substantially. Enzymes from each cultivar were evaluated for hydrolysis of soluble starch. Four of the genotypes contained substantial amounts of enzyme fractions with an elution pH in the range of 4.3-4.5 but with an action pattern different from that of B-III; these fractions appeared to be unable to hydrolyze oligosacchardies smaller than DP8.