Qingdao Tianya Chemical Co Ltd

Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose enzymology
Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose has been used extensively to characterize enzyme activity from endoglucanases. Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose is a highly specific substrate for endo-acting cellulases, as its structure has been engineered to decrystallize cellulose and create amorphous sites that are ideal for endoglucanase action. Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose is desirable because the catalysis product is easily measured using a reducing sugar assay, such as 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid. Using CMC in enzyme assays is especially important in regard to screening for cellulase enzymes that are needed for more efficient cellulosic ethanol conversion. However, Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose has also been misused in earlier work with cellulase enzymes, as many had associated whole cellulase activity with Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose hydrolysis. As mechanism of cellulose depolymerization has become more understood, exocellulases are shown to be dominant in the degradation of crystalline and not soluble cellulose.