SUMMARY— Degradation of proteins of tomato juice with pronase caused a relatively small loss of viscosity. Commercial cellulase freed of pectolytic activity with 8 M urea greatly decreased the viscosity of washed tomato solids. Further degradation with pectinase was ineffective in reducing viscosity. Cellulase extracted from the tomato lowered viscosity of tomato juice. Enzymatic degradation as indicated by chemical analysis did not always result in a loss of viscosity. By extracting the solids with water, viscosity of tomato juice was lowered drastically. The extent of the reduction was not affected by previous treatment with cellulase or pectinase. Viscosity was not affected by extraction with versene. The greater reduction in viscosity of tomato juice by extraction of the solids with water than with ethanol indicates that the high molecular polymers associated with the insoluble solids contribute greatly to viscosity. The data did not indicate a significant contribution of the uronides to the viscosity of tomato juice.
Wlhile studying cotyledonal abnormality an unusual type of injury was observed in snap beans which had been carefully hand-picked and handshelled. The injury consisted of one or more transverse breaks which extended partially or completely across the cotyledon, severing the vascular elements, figure 1. Not only was the movement of materials into the seedling impeded by the breaks but the cotyledons remained swollen often preventing the shedding of the seed coat, figure 2. The fissures also provide a seat of infection for decay organisms. In a recent study of mechanical injury to seed beans (1) injury was classified into twNo categories: visible or external and invisible or internal, of which the latter was detected by a viability test. Transverse cotyledonal breaks were attributed to mechanical injuries during the processing of the seed. SHULL and SHULL (5) observed internal cracking of pea cotyledons due to uneven swelling. They explained an apparent increase in the rate of water absorption as due to cavities formed by the breaking but did not relate it to germination. MILLER (3) showed by x-ray photographs that lima beans absorb water through the vascular bundle of the hilum. It then goes to the chalaza and arouind the seed primarily through the vascular elements of the testa. The seed coat was found to be imiipermeable until wetted from beneath.
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