Abstract
ABSTRACT Enzymatic browning causes millions of dollars in losses yearly to the food industry by discoloration of fruits and vegetables. Food and Drug Administration's banning of sulfites in 1986 has created a large field of research in search of natural, effective and economic inhibitors of enzymatic browning. The objective of this research was to demonstrate inhibition of plant(s) polyphenol oxidase (PPO; EC 1.10.3.1) using inhibitor(s) from the extract of German cockroach, Blattella germanica. Crude cockroach extract inhibited apple PPO activity 60–70% and potato PPO 15–25%. Inhibition occurred rapidly in the reaction mixture and was dependent on the pH of the system. The inhibitor(s) appear(s) to be large based on ultrafiltration studies and loss of inhibition with proteases. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS An extract from German cockroach appears effective in inhibiting browning on apples and potatoes. Successful identification of inhibitor(s) of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) from German cockroach would be useful to the fruit and vegetable segments of the food industry, due to the losses they incur from enzymatic browning. Identifying and understanding the mechanism of inhibition on fruit and vegetable PPOs could lead to inexpensive alternatives to prevent browning. Eventually a commercial spray or dip using a purified form of the inhibitor may be developed as an inexpensive treatment to preserve fruits and vegetables.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Crude cockroach extract inhibited apple polyphenol oxidase activity by 60–70%.
- Taxon
- apple
Malus domesticae1 - Treatment
- Crude cockroach extracte1
- Interactor
- cockroache1other
- Gene
- apple PPOe1
- Outcome
- PPO activitye1
- Direction
- inhibitede1
- Value
- 60–70%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e1“Crude cockroach extract inhibited apple PPO activity 60–70% and potato PPO 15–25%”
Claim · model-written summary
Crude cockroach extract inhibited potato polyphenol oxidase activity by 15–25%.
- Taxon
- potato
Solanum tuberosume1 - Treatment
- Crude cockroach extracte1
- Interactor
- cockroache1other
- Gene
- potato PPOe1
- Outcome
- PPO activitye1
- Direction
- inhibitede1
- Value
- 15–25%e1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e1“Crude cockroach extract inhibited apple PPO activity 60–70% and potato PPO 15–25%”
Claim · model-written summary
Inhibition of plant polyphenol oxidase by the extract occurred rapidly in the reaction mixture.
Verbatim
e1“inhibition of plant(s) polyphenol oxidase”
e2“Inhibition occurred rapidly in the reaction mixture and was dependent on the pH of the system”
Claim · model-written summary
Inhibition of plant polyphenol oxidase by the extract depended on the pH of the system.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e1“inhibition of plant(s) polyphenol oxidase”
e2“Inhibition occurred rapidly in the reaction mixture and was dependent on the pH of the system”
Claim · model-written summary
The polyphenol oxidase inhibitor(s) appear to be large, based on ultrafiltration studies.
Verbatim
e1“The inhibitor(s) appear(s) to be large based on ultrafiltration studies”
e2“inhibition of plant(s) polyphenol oxidase”
Claim · model-written summary
Inhibition of plant polyphenol oxidase was lost with proteases.
Verbatim
e1“loss of inhibition with proteases”
e2“inhibition of plant(s) polyphenol oxidase”
Claim · model-written summary
An extract from German cockroach appears effective in inhibiting browning on apples.
- Taxon
- apples
Malus domesticae1 - Treatment
- An extract from German cockroache1
- Interactor
- cockroache1other
- Outcome
- browninge1
- Direction
- inhibitinge1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e1“An extract from German cockroach appears effective in inhibiting browning on apples and potatoes”
Claim · model-written summary
An extract from German cockroach appears effective in inhibiting browning on potatoes.
- Taxon
- potatoes
Solanum tuberosume1 - Treatment
- An extract from German cockroache1
- Interactor
- cockroache1other
- Outcome
- browninge1
- Direction
- inhibitinge1
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e1“An extract from German cockroach appears effective in inhibiting browning on apples and potatoes”
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