Title: enzymatic decomposition
Long Title: IUPAC Gold Book - enzymatic decomposition
DOI: 10.1351/goldbook.09656
Status: current

Definition
Decomposition of organic materials (e.g. starch, sugars, proteins, lignin, hemicelluloses, etc.) with specific enzymes or microbes in which the enzyme converts a high relative molecular mass compound into lower relative molecular mass species.

Example
Enzyme-catalysed hydrolytic degradation of biomolecules.

Related Term
- biomolecules: https://goldbook.iupac.org//terms/view/09633

Source
- PAC, 2018, 90, 1121. 'Terminology of bioanalytical methods (IUPAC Recommendations 2018)' on page 1129 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2016-1120)

Other Outputs
- html: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09656/html
- json: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09656/json
- xml: https://goldbook.iupac.org/terms/view/09656/xml

Citation: Citation: 'enzymatic decomposition' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. 10.1351/goldbook.09656
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Disclaimer: The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is continuously reviewing and, where needed, updating terms in the Compendium of Chemical Terminology (the IUPAC Gold Book). Users of these terms are encouraged to include the version of a term with its use and to check regularly for updates to term definitions that you are using.
Accessed: 2026-04-18T03:49:29+00:00