Limonoid UDP-D-glucose transferase

Limonoid UDP-D>glucose transferase Limonin bitterness is a problem in juices extracted from early-season to mid-season winter fruit, but not a problem in juice extracted from the late season fruit. As the fruit ripens, the concentration of limonoate A-ring lactone (2) decreases (23,24). This natural limonin debittering process has been known for over a century, but the mechanism of this metabolism was not understood until the recent discovery that limonoid glucosides are present in mature fruit tissues and seeds. We observed that in navel orange the initial... 

The enzyme responsible for this conversion has been identified as limonoid UDP-D-glucose transferase (25). Insertion of copies of this gene with altered expression controls, such as constitutive expression, may result in preventing the accumulation of significant levels of any limonoate A-ring lactone at time of harvest. 

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