Carotenoid Cleavage Enzymes in Animals and Plants

摘要

Carotenoid cleavage enzymes have been investigated for more than 50 years. Nevertheless, progress in this area has been slow and a complete understanding of the reaction mechanisms of carotenoid biodegradation has not been achieved at the present time. In this study, the enzymatic cleavage of carotenoids in several insect species (Calliphora, Ornithoptera, and Locusta) is examined. The enzymatic degradation of carotenoids in plants is also elucidated. Quince (Cydonia oblonga) and star fruit (Averrhoa carambola) were examined in detail, since both fruit are known to contain major amounts of carotenoid derived C_(13) norisoprenoid aroma compounds. Our data demonstrates that carotenoid cleavage enzymes purified from animal tissues are similar to each other, whereas carotenoid cleavage enzymes obtained from fruit are clearly different and readily distinguished.