Improved viscometric assay for cellulase

A viscometric assay for the determination of carboxymethylcellulase activity is described. The method, which is developed from a direct theoretical approach, takes into account a kinetic energy correction and the non-Newtonian behaviour of carboxymethylcellulose solutions. The enzymic hydrolysis of carboxymethylcellulose shows strong competitive inhibition by the products of the reaction and a method is presented for estimating the initial velocity of such reactions. A direct chemical determination of reducing end groups was used to confirm the validity of this approach.