Cozymase. A study of purification methods

Abstract

Cozymase is one of the essential components of the complex enzyme mixture which effects alcoholic fermentation in the absence of living cells. The separation of the mixture into zymase and cozymase was first accomplished by Harden and Young [1] by means of ultrafiltration through a gelatin-impregnated Chamberland filter candle. The residue and filtrate as thus prepared possessed, separately, no fermentative action, but when mixed were found to produce a rapid fermentation. The active constituent of the residue was named zymase, while that constituent of the filtrate responsible for the reactivation of the residue was named cozymase. We studied the purification produced in our material by a variety of reagents. In the investigation we have repeated much of the work done by von Euler and Myrbäk [2], and several differences have been found, which appear difficult to explain solely upon the basis of the lower initial purity of our material. As certain of the experiments show distinct promise, we hope to be able to extend the work upon a material of considerably higher original purity, such as was employed by von Euler and Myrbäk.