Preliminary report on the digestive enzymes present in the digestive gland ofPerna viridis

Quantitative data on digestive enzymes of bivalves are very limited and so this study was performed to obtain such information, and to find out whether some of these enzymes are well adapted to conditions in the digestive gland. The green musselPerna viridis was obtained from Clementi West Market in 1985. The results show that various carbohydrases are present in the digestive gland. The activities of-amylase, cellulase and-glucosidase are higher than that of other carbohydrases, whilst the activities of both lipase and protease, especially the former, are low. The pH optima of the following enzymes are also given:-amylase = 5.8; laminarinase = 5.5;-glucosidase = 5.8; trehalase = 4.8;-glucosidase = 5.5. The only enzyme which was not well adapted to conditions in the digestive gland (pH 6.2) was trehalase. The wide spectrum of enzymes present in this bivalve indicates that it has the ability to utilize a wide range of nutrients efficiently.