Naringinase is a debittering

enzyme Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...

that is used in the commercial production of

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

juices. It breaks down the compound

naringin Naringin is a flavanone-7-''O''-glycoside between the flavanone naringenin and the disaccharide neohesperidose. The flavonoid naringin occurs naturally in citrus fruits, especially in grapefruit, where naringin is responsible for the fruit's bit ...

that gives citrus juices its bitter taste. It is a multienzyme complex which possesses

alpha-L-rhamnosidase Alpha-L-rhamnosidase (, ''alpha-L-rhamnosidase T'', ''alpha-L-rhamnosidase N'') is an enzyme with systematic name ''alpha-L-rhamnoside rhamnohydrolase''. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction : Hydrolysis Hydrolysis (; ) is a ...

and beta glucosidase active centers. The E.C. No.() of the naringinase and rhamnosidase are the same. First rhamnosidase breaks naringin into

prunin Prunin is a flavanone glycoside found in immature citrus fruits and in tomatoes.Improved characterization of tomato polyphenols using liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap mass spectrometry and liquid hr ...

and rhamnose. Lastly glucosidase breaks prunin into glucose and naringenin, a flavorless flavanone also found in various citrus. Ram gene is a rare gene; it is found in very few microorganisms, like some ''Bacillus'' species. It is mainly present in the genus ''

Aspergillus ' () is a genus consisting of several hundred mold species found in various climates worldwide. ''Aspergillus'' was first catalogued in 1729 by the Italian priest and biologist Pier Antonio Micheli. Viewing the fungi under a microscope, Miche ...

'', but production of naringinase from fungus is a difficult task as the growth rate of fungi is much slower than that of bacteria.

References

{{reflist Enzymes Grapefruit Flavanones metabolism