Enzymatic determination of methanol with alcohol oxidase, peroxidase, and the chromogen 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and its application to the determination of the methyl ester content of pectins

A method for the determination of methanol using alcohol oxidase, peroxidase, and 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) was developed. The procedure, which uses alcohol oxidase, is advantageous over other photometric procedures in that a subsequent reduction step is eliminated. The use of peroxidase and ABTS offers the further advantage of sensitive detection of the formed hydrogen peroxide. The sensitivity of the assay is 0.05-1.0 mu g/(mL of methanol). Moreover, the procedure is very rapid. The methyl ester content in a sample of pectin was determined from the methanol liberated upon its alkaline hydrolysis.