Abstract

We held asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.) spears at 25°C for up to 5 days after harvest and examined changes in soluble carbohydrates and the activities of enzymes concerned with carbohydrate breakdown in both top and bottom portions of the spears. The acid invertase in soluble fraction showed a higher activity than that in cell wall bound fraction and the top portion of the spear showed a significantly higher soluble acid invertase activity than the bottom portion. But the activity of cell wall bound acid invetase was higher in bottom portion. In both the top and bottom portions soluble acid invertase activity increased during first day of storage and after that it started to decrease gradually up to five days. In case of cell wall bound acid invertase the activity increased during first two days and after that it also started to decrease. Sucrose synthase activity, found higher in bottom portion than top, started to decline from the first day of storage and continued up to five days. But the activity declined rapidly on third day. In case of sucrose phosphate synthase there was no specific inclining or declining pattern of activity in any portion of the spear. Among the soluble sugars fructose and glucose were predomonant and fructose content was significantly higher than the glucose and sucrose. All the three sugars started to decrease from the first day and continued up to five days. Sucrose content was negatively correlated with invertase and sucrose synthase in both portions and accounted well for the relation between the substrate and enzyme activity. But sucrose phohphate synthase activity remained almost constant during the storage period and there was no significant correlation between sugar content and sucrose phosphate synthase activity.