Abstract
For farm animals the supplementation of exogenous enzymes, like ß-mannanase, to soybean-based diets is beneficial to improve feed digestibility. In order to unravel the effect of ß-mannanase on soybean meal's cell structure, a novel imaging concept was developed which allows visualizing the spatial activity pattern of ß-mannanase with high sensitivity by fluorescence microscopy before any visible degradation of the cellular structure occurs. It is based on fluorescence labeling of newly formed reducing ends of ß-mannanase-hydrolyzed polysaccharides after the native reducing ends of all polysaccharides present were chemically reduced. It was revealed that ß-mannanase is not only active at the cell wall but also at previously unknown sites, like the middle lamella and, most prominently, at an intracellular matrix enclosing the protein storage vacuoles. Based on these findings it can be hypothesized that the evaluated ß-mannanase can degrade the enclosing matrix of encapsulated proteins and the cell wall structure and thereby improves efficiency of feed utilization.