Continuous spectrophotometric assay of microbial cellulase

摘要

A continuous spectrophotometric assay monitors the release of colored cellulose oligosaccharides during the cellulase catalyzed hydrolysis of dyed crystalline cellulose preparations. An anthraquinone derivative, Remazol Brilliant Blue R-Salt, is used to uniformly dye a variety of cellulose biopolymers without altering their respective polysaccharide conformations. The increase in dye absorbance of a cellulose filtrate is a direct measure of the total concentration of carbohydrates formed and the cellulase activity. The continuous cellulase assay has specific utility in the study of cellulase kinetics and in comparing the cellulase activities of different microorganisms.