Biosynthesis of salep mannan

Abstract

A particulate enzyme system, isolated from growing orchid tubers (Orchis morio), was shown to catalyse the transfer of mannose from guanosine-diphosphate-mannose-14C and its incorporation into alkali-insoluble mannan with the same type of linkage [β(1 → 4)-d-mannopyranosyl] as is contained in the naturally-occurring reserve polysaccharide.