A rapid and sensitive method of detecting pectinesterase activity following electrophoresis or isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels is described. The method uses ruthenium red and requires no addition of substrate when making the gels, thus obviating direct enzyme-subtrate contact during electrophoresis. Because of its versatility, the method can be used in a wide varuety of applications, shuch as plant and microbial toxonomy, enzyme purification and characterisation, of as an analytical method in fresh and processed plant thecnology.

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