Pectin-degrading enzymes are widely used in the food industry for improving the yield and the clarification of fruit juices. As a distinctive trait among known pectate lyases, the new enzyme showed high activity on both polygalacturonate and highly methylated pectins.
Of the major enzymes degrading the pectin backbone (polygalacturonase, pectinlyase and pectatelyase), pectatelyase is the least discriminating in terms of degree of methylation. Any not too highly esterified pectin will be efficiently degraded, though the highest activity should be at "intermediate" DM (World J Microbiol Biotechnol (2009) 25:1–14)