Abstract: BACKGROUND: Kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgris L.) seed is an underutilised plant protein source with good potential to be applied in the food industry. Phaseolin (also named G1 globulin) represents about 50 g kg(-1) of total storage protein in the seed. The aim of the present study was to characterise physicochemical, functional and conformational properties of phaseolin, and to compare these properties with those of kidney bean protein isolate (KPI). RESULTS: Compared with kidney bean protein isolate (KPI), the acid-extracted phaseolin-rich protein product (PRP) had much lower protein recovery of 320 g kg(-1) (dry weight basis) but higher phaseolin purity (over 950 g kg(-1)). PRP contained much lower sulfhydryl (SH) and disulfide bond contents than KPI. Differential scanning calorimetry analyses showed that the phaseolin in PRP was less denatured than in KPI. Thermal analyses in the presence or absence of dithiothreitol, in combination with SH and SS content analyses showed the contributions of SS to the thermal stability of KPI. The analyses of near-UV circular dichroism and intrinsic fluorescence spectra indicated more compacted tertiary conformation of the proteins in PRP than in KPI. PRP exhibited much better protein solubility, emulsifying activity index, and gel-forming ability than KPI. The relatively poor functional properties of KPI may be associated with protein denaturation/unfolding, with subsequent protein aggregation. CONCLUSION: The results presented here suggest the potential for acid-extracted PRP to be applied in food formulations, in view of its functional properties.
Abstract: Two kinds of globulins, 8S and 11S globulins, with various polypeptide constituents, were well fractionated from acid- and salt-extracted mungbean globulins using DEAE-Sepharose fast flow column chromatography. The physicochemical and conformational properties, including amino acid composition, surface charge and hydrophobicity, free sulfhydryl group (SH) and disulfide bond (SS) contents, protein solubility, thermal and emulsifying properties, as well as secondary and tertiary conformations, were evaluated. Remarkable differences in polypeptide composition, surface charge and hydrophobicity, SS contents, protein solubility, thermal and emulsifying properties, and secondary and tertiary conformations were observed between 8S and 11S globulins. The physicochemical and conformational properties of the vicilins also varied with the heterogeneity of their polypeptides, but to a relatively limited extent. The emulsifying ability of these globulins was distinctly dependent on their protein solubility (or net charge), surface hydrophobicity and polypeptide heterogeneity. The thermal properties were similar among various vicilins, but distinctly different between the vicilins and 11S globulins. The circular dichrosim spectral analyses revealed that there were no marked differences in secondary and tertiary conformations between various vicilins, but the secondary, tertiary and quaternary conformations of 11S globulins were much more unordered and flexible than the vicilins. These results suggested good relationships between the physicochemical properties and conformational features of these globulins from mungbean, which could be useful for the utilization of these proteins in the food industry, and providing a working direction of mungbean breeding or protein engineering to improve its physicochemical properties.
Abstract: The amyloid fibrils formed by heating 1.0% (w/v) kidney bean phaseolin (7S globulin) solution at pH 2.0 with an ionic strength of 20 mM at 85 degrees C were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), binding of thioflavin T (Th T) and Congo Red dyes, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. The morphology of the formed fibrils was closely dependent upon heating time from 15 to 720 min. The diameters of the fibrils formed at various times were similar, but the mean contour length progressively increased with heating time. The Th T maximum fluorescence also progressively increased with heating time. The heating process caused remarkable changes in secondary, tertiary, and quaternary conformations of the phaseolin, but the extents of the changes were closely related to the heating time. With a short heating time (e.g., 15 min), the beta-strand content decreased from 38.7 to 22.9%, but further heating resulted in recovery of beta-strand structure. The tertiary and quaternary conformations gradually became flexible and unfolded upon heating. Gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that heating disrupted the polypeptides of phaseolin, leading to the formation of fragments with lower molecular mass (e.g., <10 kDa after 360 min). The results suggest that the amyloid fibril formation of phaseolin (7S globulin) involved the disruption of its polypeptides, as well as conformational changes at secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structural levels. This appears to be the first direct observation of amyloid fibrils from legume 7S storage globulin.
Abstract: The effect of high pressure (HP)treatment on the conformation of freeze-dried soy protein isolates (SPI)was investigated by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Within the amide I' region (1600-1700 cm(-1) of the deconvoluted FTIR curve of SPI, more than 10 bands associated with protein conformation were distinctly observed, attributed to the C==O stretching vibration and to a small extent to C--N stretching vibration of the peptide bonds, respectively. The secondary structure of native SPI is estimated to be composed of 15%-16% alpha-helix, 39%-44% extended strands, 17.5% random coils, and 21%-27% turns. The analyses of intensity and wavenumber of the bands showed that, HP treatment at pressures of 200-400 MPa resulted in the increases in intensity and a "red-shift" (about 2 cm(-1)) of these bands. HP treatment at 600 MPa further increased the band intensity of the amide I' region. The analyses of amide II bands showed that HP treatment led to gradual increases in intensity and absolute area of amide II bands, in a pressure-dependent manner. Thus, it is suggested that HP treatment resulted in gradual unfolding of secondary and tertiary structure of SPI, while the structure of denatured proteins underwent a "rebuilding" process after the release of high pressure. These results confirm that the HP-induced modification of SPI is by means of the HP-induced conformational changes.
Abstract: The effects of succinylation and acetylation on some functional properties and the in vitro trypsin digestibility of kidney bean protein isolate (KPI) were investigated. The extent of succinylation or acetylation progressively increased from 0% to 96% to 97%, as the anhydride-to-protein ratio increased from 0 to 1 g/g. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and zeta potential analyses indicated that acylation, especially succinylation, considerably increased the net charge and hydrodynamic radius of the proteins in KPI, especially vicilin. Acylation treatment at various anhydride-to-protein ratios (0.05 to 1 g/g) remarkably improved the protein solubility (PS) and emulsifying activity index (EAI) at neutral pH, but the improvement by succinylation was much better than that by acetylation. Succinylation resulted in a marked decrease in mechanical moduli of heat-induced gels of KPI, while the mechanical moduli were, on the contrary, increased by acetylation. Additionally, in vitro trypsin digestibility was improved by the acylation in an anhydride-type and level-dependent manner. The results suggest that the functional properties of KPI could be modulated by the chemical acylation treatment, using succinic or acetic anhydride at appropriate anhydride-to-protein ratios.
Abstract: The effects of polyphenol removal from common buckwheat seed flours with cold aqueous organic solvents (including 95% ethanol, 70% 2-propanol, and 80% methanol, v/v) on the physicochemical and conformational properties of their protein isolates (BPI) were investigated. The extraction resulted in considerable reduction in its polyphenol content, especially protein-bound polyphenol content, and concomitant increase in its protein content. The efficiency of the removal of the polyphenols was much better in the 2-propanol case than in other two cases. The surface hydrophobicity of the proteins changed slightly, while the disulfide bond contents remarkably increased, partially at the expense of free sulfhydryl group contents. The protein solubility in the pH range of 7.0-11.0 and the proportion of undenatured globulins in BPI products were variably improved by the organic solvent extraction, and the extent of the improvements was highest in the 2-propanol case. Intrinsic emission fluorescence and far-UV and/or near-UV CD spectra showed that polyphenol removal resulted in significant changes in tertiary and/or secondary conformations of the proteins in BPI, and the changes were also related to the efficiency of the removal of the polyphenols. These results suggest that the physicochemical and conformational properties of BPI are closely related to its polyphenol level, and there is also a close relationship between its physicochemical properties and tertiary and/or secondary conformations.
Abstract: The properties of cast films from hemp protein isolate (HPI) including moisture content (MC) and total soluble mass (TSM), tensile strength (TS) and elongation at the break (EAB), and surface hydrophobicity were investigated and compared to those from soy protein isolate (SPI). The plasticizer (glycerol) level effect on these properties and the interactive force pattern for the film network formation were also evaluated. At some specific glycerol levels, HPI films had similar MC, much less TSM and EAB, and higher TS and surface hydrophobicity (support matrix side), as compared to SPI films. The TS of HPI and SPI films as a function of plasticizer level (in the range of 0.3-0.6 g/g of protein) were well fitted with the exponential equation with coefficient factors of 0.991 and 0.969, respectively. Unexpectedly, the surface hydrophobicity of HPI films (including air and support matrix sides) increased with increasing the glycerol level (from 0.3 to 0.6 g/g of protein). The analyses of protein solubility of film in various solvents and free sulfydryl group content showed that the disulfide bonds are the prominent interactive force in the HPI film network formation, while in the SPI case, besides the disulfide bonds, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions are also to a similar extent involved. The results suggest that hemp protein isolates have good potential to be applied to prepare protein film with some superior characteristics, e.g., low solubility and high surface hydrophobicity.
Abstract: The thermal properties and heat-induced denaturation and aggregation of soy protein isolates (SPI) were studied using modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC). Reversible and non-reversible heat flow signals were separated from the total heat flow signals in the thermograms. In the non-reversible profiles, two major endothermic peaks (at around 100 and 220 degrees C, respectively) associated with the loss of residual water were identified. In the reversible profiles, an exothermic peak associated with thermal aggregation was observed. Soy proteins denatured to various extents by heat treatments showed different non-reversible and reversible heat flow patterns, especially the exothermic peak. The endothermic or exothermic transition characteristics in both non-reversible and reversible signals were affected by the thermal history of the samples. The enthalpy change of the exothermic (aggregation) peak increased almost linearly with increase in relative humidity (RH) in the range between 8 and 85%. In contrast, the onset temperature of the exotherm decreased progressively with increase in RH. These results suggest that the MDSC technique could be used to study thermal properties and heat-induced denaturation/aggregation of soy proteins at low moisture contents. Associated functional properties such as water holding and hydration property can also be evaluated.
Abstract: The amino acid composition and physicochemical and functional properties of hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) protein isolate (HPI) were evaluated and compared with those of soy protein isolate (SPI). Edestin, a kind of hexameric legumin, was the major protein component. HPI had similar or higher levels of essential amino acids (except lysine), in comparison to those amino acids of SPI. The essential amino acids in HPI (except lysine and sulfur-containing amino acids) are sufficient for the FAO/WHO suggested requirements for 2-5 year old children. The protein solubility (PS) of HPI was lower than that of SPI at pH less than 8.0 but similar at above pH 8.0. HPI contained much higher free sulfhydryl (SH) content than SPI. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis showed that HPI had only one endothermic peak with denaturation temperature (T(d)) of about 95.0 degrees C, attributed to the edestin component. The T(d) of the endotherm was nearly unaffected by 20-40 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate but significantly decreased by 20 mM dithiothreitol (P < 0.05). The emulsifying activity index, emulsion stability index, and water-holding capacity of HPI were much lower than those of SPI, and the fat adsorption capacity was similar. The data suggest that HPI can be used as a valuable source of nutrition for infants and children but has poor functional properties when compared with SPI. The poor functional properties of HPI have been largely attributed to the formation of covalent disulfide bonds between individual proteins and subsequent aggregation at neutral or acidic pH, due to its high free sulfhydryl content from sulfur-containing amino acids.
Abstract: The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase) treatment on the properties and microstructures of soy protein isolate (SPI) films cast with 0.6 plasticizer per SPI (gg(-1)) of glycerol, sorbitol and 1:1 mixture of glycerol and sorbitol, respectively. Tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (EB), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) or water vapor permeability (WVP), moisture content (MC), total soluble matter (TSM), lipid barrier property and surface hydrophobicity of control and MTGase-treated films were evaluated after conditioning film specimens at 25 degrees C and 50% relative humidity (RH) for 48 h. The treatment by 4 units per SPI (Ug(-1)) of MTGase increased the TS and surface hydrophobicity by 10-20% and 17-56%, respectively, and simultaneously significantly (P< or =0.05) decreased the E, MC and transparency. The WVTR or TSM of SPI films seemed to be not significantly affected by enzymatic treatment (P>0.05). The MTGase treatment also slowed down the moisture loss rate of film-forming solutions with various plasticizers during the drying process, which was consistent with the increase of surface hydrophobicity of SPI films. Microstructural analyses indicated that the MTGase-treated films of SPI had a rougher surface and more homogeneous or compact cross-section compared to the controls. These results suggested that the MTGase treatment of film-forming solutions of SPI prior to casting could greatly modify the properties and microstructures of SPI films.
