BACTERIAL ENZYMES. 39 



ilized by heating to 60 C., caused a solid coagulation of 

 sterile milk in a few days. 



A small number of bacteria have also been encoun- 

 tered that bring about coagulation of milk with a dis- 

 tinctly alkaline reaction. This function has been 

 noticed in bacteria isolated from milk, and especially 

 in bacterium pseudodiphtheriticum isolated from cows 7 

 milk (Bergey). 



Sugar-splitting enzymes are very common in bacteria. 

 This function varies in different species as seen in the 

 different end-products that are formed. Buchner suc- 

 ceeded in isolating the sugar-splitting enzyme (zymase) 

 of yeast-cells, and when thus isolated it still possesses 

 the power of inducing active fermentation of sugar. It 

 is believed that the sugar-splitting enzymes of bacteria 

 are similar in character to the zymase of yeast-cells. 

 The splitting up of carbohydrates appears to be brought 

 about by the bacteria for the purpose of obtaining oxygen, 

 as indicated by the nature of the end-products formed, 

 and also by the conditions under which it may be car- 

 ried out i. e., the absence of atmospheric oxygen. 



The splitting of the carbohydrate molecule may be 

 illustrated as follows : 



C 6 H 12 6 = 2C 2 H 6 + 2C0 2 

 Grape sugar 2 alcohol -\- 2 carbon dioxid. 



or C 6 H 12 6 = 2C 3 H 6 3 



Grape sugar = 2 lactic acid. 



or C 6 H 12 6 = 3C.H A 



Grape sugar 3 acetic acid. 



According to Theobald Smith ! all facultative anaero- 

 bic bacteria form acids from carbohydrates, while the 

 strict aerobic bacteria do not have this function, or 

 'Theobald Smith : Centralblatt fur Bacteriologie. Bd. xviii. 



