POLYPHENOL INTERACTIONS: ASTRINGENCY AND THE LOSS OF ASTRINGENCY IN RIPENING FRUIT

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S0031-9422(00)84566-5

Key Word Index-Polyphenols; tannins; β-glucosidase inhibition; protein-polyphenol complexation; astringency. The inhibition of the enzyme β-glucosidase by natural polyphenolic substrates is described.The kinetic data suggest that the pattern of inhibition which is initially observed most closely resembles that of the classical non-competitive type.The system has also been employed to test the ability of other substrates, such as proteins, various polysaccharides, α- and β-cyclodextrins and caffeine, to disrupt the association of polyphenols with β-glucosidase.The results are utilized to put forward a hypothesis for the loss of astringency which typically occurs in some fruit upon ripening.