Galactose oxidase may be used as an analytical tool for the specific determination of D-galactose in blood plasma, plant extracts, and phospholipids. It could be used for the characterization of terminal D-galactoside units in several polymers.
Galactose Oxidase from Dactylium dendroides has been used as a component for galactose oxidase treatment of arabinogalactan. It has also been used to co-immobilise with peroxidase for the preparation of a biosensor for galactose detection.
Galactose oxidase is an extracellular copper-containing enzyme, secreted by the deuteromycete fungus Dactylium dendroides. It catalyzes the oxidation of a range of primary alcohols, including D-galactose, to the corresponding aldehyde, with reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide.
Galactose oxidase catalyzes the coversion of D-galactose to D-galacto-hexodialdose. 2-Deoxy-D-galactose, lactose, melibiose, raffinose and stachyose react with galactose oxidase in the peroxidase:o-tolidine system.Essentially no oxidation of D-glucose, L-galactose, L-arabinose or D-glucuronate has been observed.
