Acetyl-DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester

Acetyl-DL-phenylalanine β-naphthyl ester is an aromatic amino acid ester, which functions as a chromogenic substrate for chymotrypsin and microbial serine proteases such as subtilisin. It is known that Acetyl-DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester is hydrolyzed by cathepsin G. Alternate studies indicate that Acetyl-DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester can be used to distinguish between wild-type and mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli. This is a direct result of their ability to produce esterases which hydrolyze Acetyl-DL-phenylalanine beta-naphthyl ester.