| Comments |
P.24 4th paragraph: "The activites of these hydrolytic enzymes in faeces were studied by Englyst el al. (primary source), who found that the majority of enzyme activity was associated with the bacteria, with a smaller proportion occurring extracellularly (Table 2.4). Interestingly, the activities of some of the enzymes involved in breaking down some of the less soluble polymers such as xylanase, arabinogalactanase, β-xylosidase and α-arabinofuranosidase, were markedly higher in bacteria that were growing attached to particulate material, compared to those which were "free living." This data indicates that either different bacterial populations were growing attached to particles in the gut, or alternatively, that particle-associated bacteria were expressing increased enzyme levels due to the presence of comparatively higher amounts of inducer substances at the particle surface. These results suggest that adherent bacteria may be particularly important in digesting insoluble plant cell wall materials in the gut." |