erythrozym

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A name given to the peculiar fermentative substance of madder, which has the power of effecting the decomposition of rubian.
2. n. A peculiar ferment of the nature of an enzym occurring in madder-root. It possesses the power of decomposing rubian, yielding several products the most important of which is alizarin. The formula assigned to it by Schunck is C₅₆H₃₄N₂O₄₀ + CaO.