Studies on chlorogenic Acid biosynthesis in sweet potato root tissue in special reference to the isolation of a chlorogenic Acid intermediate.

Marked polyphenol production takes place in root tissue of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas Lam. cv. Norin 1, in response to slicing. A possible intermediate, tentatively termed compound V, of chlorogenic acid biosynthesis was isolated from the root tissue administrated with t-cinnamic acid-2-(14)C. Compound V was proved to be an ester whose acid moiety was t-cinnamic acid, and the hydroxyl group-bearing moiety appeared to be a carbohydrate. Compound V was suggested to be the first intermediate after t-cinnamic acid involved in the chlorogenic acid biosynthetic pathway by the following three results. (a) label of t-cinnamic acid-2-(14)C was distributed in compound V first, then transferred to chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid, isomers of dicaffeoylquinic acid; (b) specific radioactivity of compound V increased prior to that of the fraction containing chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acids and decreased prior to that of the latter; and (c) label of compound V was efficiently incorporated into chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acid.