The enzymatic hydrolysis and tissue oxidation of fatty acid esters of sucrose

Abstract

SummaryVarious preparations of sucrose fatty acid esters were hydrolyzed by wheat germ or pancreatic lipase, pancreatin, pancreatic juice, α‐amylase, invertase, or liver homogenates to yield sucrose and free fatty acids as products. The greatest activity was observed with the liver homogenate.None of the enzymes studied cleaved the glycosidic linkage as indicated by the lack of appearance of reducing groups and by paper chromatography of the products.The greatest hydrolysis by pancreatic lipase was observed with sucrose esters having a greater preponderance of unsaturated fatty acids, namely, sucrose trilinoleate, sucrose dilinoleate, sucrose tetralinoleate, and “Sequol 260” (69% unsaturated fatty acids).Sodium taurocholate was required for hydrolysis by pancreatic lipase but not by wheat germ lipase. Sucrose ester was inhibitory to the hydrolysis of triolein by all lipolytic preparations. Tetra‐ethyl pyrophosphate and cupric ions were not inhibitory to the hydrolysis of sucrose ester.Sucrose fatty acid esters supported respiration by rat liver homogenates and to a much lesser extent by rat intestinal mucosa. The rate of oxidation was greater than that observed with sucrose and the corresponding fatty acid. The greatest activity was observed with esters of fatty acids having a greater preponderance of unsaturated fatty acids, namely, “Sequol 260,” sucrose di‐, tri‐, and tetralinoleate.