Abiotic Hydrolysis of Some Poly-D-glucaramides and Subsequent Microbial Utilization/Degradation

Carbohydrate acid amides, diamides and polyamides have been proposed to be utilized as nitrogen plant fertilizers or fertilizer components, and experiments with Brassica rapa demonstrated a positive biological response when these compounds were used as the only source of fixed nitrogen for plant growth. The present study was carried out with the aim of elucidating the mechanism of degradation of these polymers in both soil/compost and in liquid media and the role of microorganisms in this process. The results obtained suggest that a major route of degradation of polyglucaramides in the environment is their abiotic hydrolysis/release of the diacid and diamine building block units of these polymers, which are then utilized for growth by microorganisms. In cell-free crude extracts from enrichment cultures obtained with different poly-D-glucaramides, no enzyme activities catalyzing the release of diamines from these compounds were detected.