Novel procedure for extraction of a latent grape polyphenoloxidase using temperature-induced phase separation in triton x-114

Polyphenoloxidase from grape berries is extracted only by nonionic detergents with a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance between 12.4 and 13.5. The enzyme was partially purified in latent form, free of phenolics and chlorophylls, by using temperature phase partitioning in a solution of Triton X-114. This method permits the purification of the enzyme with the same fold purification as the commonly used method, but with a yield three times higher and a 90% reduction in time needed. The latent enzyme can be activated by different treatments, including trypsin and cationic and anionic detergents. Cetyltrimethylamonium bromide was found to be the most effective detergent activator, followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate. Polyphenoloxidase in grape berries, in spite of being an integral membrane protein, had an anomalous interaction with Triton X-114, remaining in the detergent-poor phase after phase separation. This could be explained by its having a short hydrophobic tail that anchors it to the membrane.