In vitro enzymatic assay of UDP-glucose clehydrogenase from Xanthomonas albilineans requires the addition of a protease inhibitors cocktail to cell-free extracts, since bacterial proteases rapidly hydrolyses the enzyme in solution. The addition of low amounts of 8-azaguanine and chloramphenicol to the culture medium do not impede the production of the dehydrogenase that requires concentrations higher than 0.3 mM of both antimetabolites to inhibit its synthesis. Glycoproteins from sugarcane, the natural host of the bacterium, also assure the production of the active enzyme by inhibiting bacterial proteases.