PURIFICATION AND SOME PROPERTIES OF ALCOHOL ACETYLTRANSFERASE FROM SAKE YEAST

Isoamyl acetate, one of the major characteristic aroma compounds of sake, was synthesized by the condensation of acetyl-CoA and isoamyl alcohol under the action of alcohol acetyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.84) of yeast. The enzyme, which was associated with the cell membrane, was purified about 800fold. The purified enzyme was very labile at temperatures higher than 10°C and pHs lower than 5.5 but was stable at pH 6.0-7.5. The enzyme was most active at 30°C and pH 7.0. The isoelectric point of this enzyme was 5.5. The molecular weight was estimated to be about 50,000 by gel filtration and SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. © 1990 by the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.