Acceleration of Enzyme-Dependent Carthamin Formation by Manganese with Diversed Valence States

Effect of manganese with three different valence states on carthamin formation was studied by using freshly collected flowers from dyer’s saffron ( C. tinctorius) capitula. At 1 10 hm con­ centration, these cations accelerated markedly the carthamin formation induced by endoge­ nous enzyme(s) in the detached floral tissues. The acceleration was obviously dependent on the valence state of the test metals, more pronounced by M n(V II) or M n(III) than by M n(II) at a series of given ionic strengths. On a 1 |aM level, M n(V II) and M n(III) accelerated the pigment accumulation by faster of 9 and 8, resp. than M n(II) during 5 min incubation at 30 °C. Mn(V II) and M n(III) acted on both fresh and boiled florets, while M n(II) exerted preferential­ ly its activity on intact materials. Possible implication of manganese ions on the enzyme-catalyzed carthamin formation are discussed.