Use of pectinolytic enzymes for the treatment of fruit and vegetable mash and enzyme sequences therefor

A transformed host cell selected from a fungal, a yeast, a bacterial or a mammalian cell comprising at least one recombinant DNA molecule, which upon expression in said host cell encodes a polypeptide having endo-polygalacturonase activity, the recombinant DNA molecule comprising a DNA sequence selected from

• a) DNA sequences comprising SEQ ID NO:
• 1,
• b) DNA sequences hybridizing with the DNA sequences of a) under stringent conditions which comprise hybridization at 65° C., 18 h in dextransulphate solution, washing of the filters for 30 min, first with 6×SSC, twice with 2×SSC, three times with 3×SSC, with 0.1% SDS and after that 0.2×SSC at 65° C.,
• c) DNA sequences which are at least 95% identical to the sequences of a), or
• d) DNA sequences that are variants of the sequences of a), b or c) due to the degeneracy of the genetic code.

An isolated polypeptide having endo-polygalacturonase activity selected from the group consisting of:

• a) an isolated polypeptide which is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence comprising the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• b) an isolated polypeptide which is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence having at least 95% identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• c) an isolated polypeptide which is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence having at least 98% identity to the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1;
• and
• d) an isolated polypeptide which is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence consisting of the nucleotide sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 1.

An isolated polypeptide having endo-polygalacturonase activity selected from the group consisting of:

• a) an isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 95% identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 2;
• and
• b) an isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 98% identity to SEQ ID NO:
• 2.