Starch degradation in the cotyledons of germinating lentils

Starch, total amylolytic and phosphorylase activities were determined in lentil cotyledons during the first days of germination. Several independent criteria show that the amylolytic activity is due mainly to an amylase of the alpha type. Starch is degraded slowly in the first days; during this time, alpha- and beta-amylase activity are very low, while phosphorylase increases and reach a peak on the 3rd day. On the 4th day, there is a more rapid depletion of starch which coincides with an increase in alpha-amylase activity. By polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the crude starch-degrading enzyme, five bands were obtained: one phosphorylase, three alpha-amylases, and one beta-amylase. Based on their heat lability or heat stability, two sets of alpha-amylase seem to exist in lentil cotyledons.