A chromogenic assay for limit dextrinase and pullulanase activity.

A new chromogenic substrate to assay the starch debranching enzymes limit dextrinase and pullulanase is described. The 2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl glycoside of a commercially available branched heptasaccharide (Glc-maltotriosyl-maltotriose) was found to be a suitable specific substrate for starch debranching enzymes and allows convenient assays of enzymatic activities in a format suited for high-throughput analysis. The kinetic parameters of these enzymes toward the synthesized substrate are determined, and the selectivity of the substrate in a complex cereal-based extract is established.