This paper aimed to verify the action of cellulase on the decomposition of parchment of coffee seeds. For this purpose two experiments were conducted and the first, was realized in vitro conditions, containing of three assays (effect of the concentration of the enzyme, effect of the concentration of the substrate and enzyme scarification of the parchment). The second was made in vitro conditions soaking of coffee seeds in a cellulase solution at the concentration of 1.6 g.L-1 in 0.05 M potassium citrate buffer. It was found that the amount of sugar released was directly related with the enzyme concentration and that there was a linear and marked increase in the amount of reducing sugars released at the concentrations (1.6 and 3.2 g.L-1) well as incubation time of the substrate samples (parchment) with the increase of enzyme solution. It was also found that that the parchmentless seeds presented increase in the germination and emergence velocity index, germination and emergence percentage as compared with the seeds with a parchment and that cellulase at this concentration do not provide any increase in germination velocity of seeds, being needed higher concentrations.
Coffea arabica L.; enzyme; soaking time
