Protein and amino acids contents of Libyan dates at three stages of development

The protein and amino acid contents of three Libyan date varieties (Taasfirt, Bikrari and Khadhrai) at different stages of fruit development were determined. The protein concentration in all three varieties was highest at the green stage. Seventeen amino acids were detected and quantified; their concentrations (dry weight basis) were higher in Khadhrai and Bikrari than in Taasfirt. At the green stage the concentrations of glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, alanine and serine were highest. At the yellow and ripe stages, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, lysine, leucine, proline and glycine were present in high concentrations. For most amino acids the concentrations were higher at the yellow stage than at the ripe stage. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of Amino Acids and Peptides on Mixing and Frozen Dough Properties of Wheat Flour

Free amino acids, peptides, and vital wheat gluten were investigated to determine their effect on the mixing and frozen dough baking properties of wheat flour. Addition of 1% cysteine and aspartic acid decreased and glutamic acid, histidine, arginine, and lysine increased the mixing tolerance of flour. Cystine, methionine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine increased but isoleucine, histidine, glycine, arginine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and lysine decreased loaf volume of nonfrozen dough breads. However cystine, methionine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine did not increase loaf volume of bread prepared from frozen dough. Vital wheat gluten increased mixing tolerance and bread loaf volume only for the nonfrozen dough. However, wheat gluten hydrolysate, corn, and bonito peptides decreased mixing tolerance after optimum mixing time and were effective in increasing loaf volume for both frozen and nonfrozen dough. As the amount of corn and bonito peptide increased, specific loaf volumes also increased. Addition of 2.5% corn peptide was most effective in increasing loaf volume of frozen dough bread. Crust browning and crumb stickiness increased, whereas crumb softness decreased with addition of peptides. Addition of less than 1% peptide did not adversely affect the aftertaste and off‐flavor of bread. These results suggest that addition of peptides are effective for improving the baking quality of frozen dough, whereas amino acids and gluten have no effect.     

Amino acid changes in fermented oyster (Crassostrea gigas) sauce with different fermentation periods

Fermented oyster sauce (FOS) was prepared with 25% NaCl (w/w) at 20 °C with different fermentation periods. Biochemical changes during the fermentation were investigated. Results revealed that, during fermentation, protein contents were increased whereas carbohydrate contents were decreased. Amino acid composition showed that the contents of aspartic acid, lysine, glutamic acid, glycine and alanine were higher than other amino acids. Free amino acid contents of FOS fluctuated during the fermentation period but most of the free amino acids increased. Particularly, the contents of taurine, glutamic acid, lysine, glycine and alanine were high, which may contribute to the taste and flavour of FOS.     

Isolation and characterisation of wheat flour proteins. III.—Amino-acid composition of Sephadex-gel fractionated wheat flour proteins

Wheat flour proteins were extracted with 0·05M -acetic acid, 0·01M -sodium pyrophosphate buffer, pH 7·0, and 0.05M -acetic acid after pyrophosphate buffer, and were fractionated by Sephadex-gel filtration. Seventeen amino-acids were determined by ion-exchange Chromatography in hydrolysates of 19 protein extracts and fractions. Concentrations of amino-acids with ionisable cationic chains and with hydroxylic groups, and of cystine, glycine, alanine, valine, leucine and methionine were higher, and of dicarboxylic acids, and their amides, and of proline were lower, in the pyrophosphate- than in the acetic acid-extracted proteins. The distribution of amino-acids in Sephadex-gel separated fractions depended on the elution volume of the fraction. It was affected also by the system used in extracting the proteins from the flour and by the presence of salt-dispersible proteins in the acetic acid-extractable proteins.     

Amino acid analyses of glutenins and gliadins

The amino acid compositions of glutenins and gliadins from two strong and two weak wheats have been compared. Glutenin appears to have an amino acid analysis generally similar to that of gliadin but there are individual differences. Glutenin possesses much higher proportions of lysine, glycine and tryptophan and somewhat higher proportions of arginine, tyrosine, threonine, (aspartic acid + asparagine), serine and alanine. Gliadin is richer in proline, (glutamic acid + glutamine), cystine, phenylalanine, amide nitrogen and isoleucine. No definite differences were observed in contents of methionine, valine, leucine or histidine. The possible significance of these results in explaining the properties of glutenin and gliadin is discussed, and the results are compared on a diagram with some analyses in the literature. No significant differences in amino acid composition from variety, or from strong wheats as against weak, were observed among glutenins or gliadins. The calculated factor for converting weight of nitrogen to glutenin or gliadin is 5.6. The mean percentage of (glutamic + aspartic) acids in the amide form is 82 for glutenin and 92 for gliadin.     

The Free Amino Acids of Israel Orange Juice

SUMMARY— Twenty-two Israel orange juice samples were analyzed chromatographically, and 16 free amino acids were identified with seven different solvent systems. Aspartic acid, glutamic acid, lysine, alanine, and proline were identified with all 7 solvent systems; asparagine with 6; serine with 5; arginine, valine and leucine with 4; γ-amino-butyric acid with 3; glycine, methionine and phenylalanine with 2; and threo-nine and tyrosine with 1. The presence of isoleucine in Israel orange juice appears doubtful.
A quantitative estimation of the free amino acids indicates that amounts of aspartic acid, serine, and alanine are high compared with California orange juice, but glutamic acid and lysine are low.     

Biochemical changes in developing wheat grains. Changes in nitrogen fractions,amino acids and nutritional quality

Two spring wheat cultivars (Triticum aestivum L. em Thell.), one tall (Chris) and the other semi-dwarf (Era), with different yields and grain protein potentials, were grown in controlled environment chambers to compare the nitrogen fractions, amino acids and nutritional quality in developing grains at 12, 22, 29 and 36 days after heading. The proportions of gliadin I, gliadin II and glutenin II increased and those of albumin and globulin decreased as the wheat cultivars matured. The amount of lysine, methionine, threonine, valine, tyrosine, alanine, aspartic acid and glycine was lower and that of glutamic acid and proline was higher with grain development in both cultivars. At 12 days after heading Era had a higher content of amino acids (16 g^?1 N) than Chris. Isoleucine was the first limiting amino acid in Era and Chris at the first collection period whereas at later stages lysine was the limiting amino acid in both cultivars. Chemical score, essential amino acid index, requirement index and calculated biological value all decreased as the grain matured and, except for the 12-days collection period, the data were almost similar for both the cultivars.     

Effects of nitrogen,phosphorus and potassium on amino acid composition and on relationships between nitrogen and amino acids in wheat and oat grain

During two seasons, pot experiments in which increasing applications of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium were given to wheat and oats produced grain with widely varying N contents. The total amino acid composition of the grain was mainly dependent on N content of grain. Phosphorus and potassium affected the amino acid composition of wheat and oat grain only indirectly through their effects on nitrogen concentration. In wheat increasing grain N% was accompanied by a decrease in the amount (as g per 16 g N) of lysine, threonine, methionine, cystine and an increase in glutamic acid, proline, phenylalanine, and serine contents. Lysine, methionine, and cystine in oats decreased with increasing grain N content, but arginine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and phenylalanine increased. Changes were less pronounced with oats than with wheat, and concentrations of most essential amino acids were higher in oats. When expressed as % dry matter all amino acids increased with increasing N concentration. Linear regression equations were calculated and significant correlations were found in both crops between concentrations of most amino acids and N content in grain. Some correlations between amino acids in the grain are also given. Correlations between amino acids and nitrogen within a variety were similar despite widely differing yields.     

Amino acid composition of wheat grain. 1: Changes during development

The changes in the composition of free and total amino acids in wheat grain during development are described: the experiment was performed in a growth chamber with three varieties of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.): Splendeur, Hobbit and Maris Huntsman. The changes in the total composition of amino acids of the grain as development progressed were consistent with an increase in the proportion of storage proteins. At 15 days after anthesis, the relative amount of glycine increased, suggesting that at this moment the proportion of gliadins was relatively low. The relative amount of arginine increased in mature grain, showing that at times close to maturity the relative proportion of synthesis of a protein fraction rich in this amino acid increased. Free glutamate, proline and arginine decreased at 15 days to a greater extent than the other amino acids and was present in low relative amounts during the period of maximum protein synthesis in the grain; these three amino acids could be the most limiting for protein synthesis in grain. In the free fraction the following showed a similar pattern of change during grain development: aspartate, arginine and histidine on the one hand, and on the other alanine, valine, leucine, isoleucine, threonine, phenylalanine and tyrosine; moreover both groups were inversely correlated. Glycine and lysine were directly related to each other and inversely to glutamate.     

Proteolytic activity,amino acid composition and protein quality of germinating fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum graecum L.)

This study determined the changes in proteolytic activity and trypsin inhibitor, due to germination for 120 h, and their relationships to amino acid content and protein quality. The activities of cas-ase, Hb-ase, and BAPA-ase, as well as the trypsin inhibitor of the fenugreek, increased as germination proceeded. Glutamic and aspartic acids were the richest amino acids in fenugreek seeds, followed by leucine, arginine, lysine and proline. After germination, the contents of aspartic acid, phenylalanine, tyrosine, threonine, tryptophan and valine increased, while those of glutamic acid, proline and four of the essential amino acids decreased. All the free amino acids increased after germination, while glycine decreased. Cystine, tryptophan and proline originated in a free form after germination. The chemical score, based on the essential amino acid pattern of whole egg protein, for fenugreek seeds, showed a marked decrease (21%) after germination. The in vitro pepsin, followed by pancreatin digestion, showed a slight increase for the germinated seeds. Germination of seeds lowered the C-PER, a result which indicates that the protein quality decreased.     

Lysine fortification of wheat flour improves selected indices of the nutritional status of predominantly cereal-eating families in Pakistan

Wheat provides more than 50% of the protein and calorie intake of the population of Pakistan. Legumes and animal protein that could complement the amino acid pattern of wheat, in which lysine is the first limiting amino acid for utilization of protein, are not affordable by members of lower socioeconomic groups in developing countries. The purpose of the study was to determine whether lysine fortification of wheat flour would have a positive impact on populations consuming a predominantly wheat-based diet. A double-blind study was carried out for three months on the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan. Forty families received wheat flour fortified with lysine, and 40 families received wheat flour without lysine. Wheat provided 59% of the protein for men, 65% for women, and 58% for children. The weight and height of the children in both groups increased during the study, but the increase was significantly greater in the lysine group. Hemoglobin increased significantly in the women receiving lysine-fortified flour. Transferrin levels increased significantly in men, women, and children in the lysine group as compared with those in the control group. Prealbumin increased significantly in adults receiving additional lysine but decreased in children. Men, women, and children in the lysine-supplemented families had significant increases in CD4, CD8, and complement C3 as compared with controls. These results indicate that lysine fortification of wheat flour can significantly improve sensitive indicators of nutritional status in a population consuming a diet in which 58% to 65% of the protein, depending on age and sex, is supplied by wheat.     

Transaminase activity in extracts of cod muscle studied by the use of a 14C-labelled amino acid mixture

Changes in the amino acid fraction of buffered extracts of cod muscle during incubation in the presence of α-ketoglutarate have been studied using a ¹⁴C-labelled amino acid mixture. The patterns of radioactive amino acids pre and post incubation suggest that transamination reactions are responsible for marked changes in the levels of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, alanine, valine, leucine and iso-leucine. No changes were noted in the levels of threonine, serine, proline, glycine, lysine and arginine. Slight falls in the concentration of tyrosine and phenylalanine were seen after extended incubation times.     

AMINO ACID CHANGES IN THE KOREAN TRADITIONAL FERMENTATION PROCESS FOR BLUE MUSSEL, MYTILUS EDULIS

The effect of fermentation period on biochemical composition of fermented blue mussel was investigated in three fermentation stages. Fermented blue mussel sauces (FBMSs) were prepared with 25% NaCl (w/w) at 20C for different fermentation periods. The FBMSs were desalted below 1% (w/w) by an electrodialyzer. It was observed that content of protein increased and carbohydrate decreased throughout the fermentation. In addition, the changes of free amino acids were investigated, and the levels of amino acids such as glycine, alanine, proline, aspartic acid and glutamic acid were higher, which may be important for the taste of fish and shellfish sauce.     

Changes in the amino acid compounds of the wholecrop wheat during ensiling and after fermentation

Changes in amino acid fractions of chopped low-to-medium protein whole-crop wheat were studied at four stages of maturation and at two stages after a 24 h wilting period. Tests were carried out after an ensiling period of 90 days, and after a further 7-day post-fermentation aerobic exposure. Total amino acids contents in the dry matter during the fermentation period remained stable. Quantities of essential amino acids decreased during maturation and fermentation and remained stable during post fermentation aerobic exposure. The highest amino acid concentrations recorded in the fresh material were those of arginine, lysine, glutamic acid, alanine, leucine, glycine and aspartic acid. Free amino acids varied from a low level in the fresh material < 10% of the total amino acids to ca 65% after the aerobic process. Ammonia-N content increased in the silage and remained relatively stable on post fermentation aerobic exposure. The concentration of all free amino acids increased except arginine and glutamine during the ensiling period and post fermentation aerobic exposure. After wilting, an increase in free amino acids and a decrease in insoluble amino acids was recorded. The changes in concentration of 18 amino acids during ensilage and following post fermentation aerobic exposure are given.     

Nutritive value of oat and rye grain protein as influenced by nitrogen and amino acid composition

In experiments with increasing applications of nitrogen to oats and rye grown in pots, grain with widely varying N-content was obtained. In rye increasing N-concentrations were associated with decreases in the protein of lysine and several other amino acids including threonine, tryptophan, methionine and cystine, whereas glutamic acid, proline and phenylalanine increased. In oat protein the amino acid composition was less affected by increasing N-content in grain. Concentrations of most essential amino acids were higher in oat than in rye protein, especially at high N-levels. The ratio lysine + arginine/proline was higher in oat than in rye protein and did not, as in rye, decrease with increasing N-concentration. Lysine as a percentage of dry matter increased up to the highest N-level in both cereals. In rat feeding experiments true digestibility of the protein of oats and rye increased to the same extent with increasing N-concentration in grain, whereas the biological value of the protein decreased considerably in rye but only slightly in oats. Net protein utilisation decreased with increasing N-content in rye but increased in oats.     

Studies on fish protein concentrate and fish meal from river Nile bolti fish (Tilapia nilotica)

Fish protein concentrate (FPC) from river Nile bolti fish (Tilapia nilotica) was prepared and compared with commercial FPC and fresh bolti fish flesh. Fish meal (FM) from bolti fish offals was prepared and compared with commercial FM and also fresh bolti fish flesh. FPC from bolti fish showed a higher crude protein content but less fat, ash, calcium and sand than the commercial sample, while FM from bolti fish showed a higher content of ash and phosphorus than commercial FM but was nearly similar in crude protein, fat, calcium and sodium chloride. FPC from bolti fish had a higher content of lysine, arginine, aspartic acid, glycine and glutamic acid and a lower content of the other free amino acids. The bolti fish FM had a lower content of total amino acids and the contents of the free amino acids cysteine, glycine, aspartic acid, serine, alanine, valine, and methionine increased slightly. The yield was 12% for FPC and 19.5% for FM. Coliform bacteria were not present in both FPC and FM from bolti fish. Low moisture contents of FPC and FM were essential for preventing microbiol growth and to attain a good keeping quality. The FPC and FM from bolti fish reached moisture equilibrium and stopped increasing in weight within 144 to 192 h.     

Extractability and Chromatographic Characterization of Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Bran Protein

About 70% of the protein for human consumption is derived from plants, with cereals as the most important source. Wheat bran protein has a more balanced amino acid profile than that of flour. We here for the first time report the amino acid, size exclusion, and SDS‐PAGE profiles of bran Osborne protein fractions (OPFs). Moreover, we also investigated how OPFs are affected when physical barriers which entrap proteins in bran tissues are removed. Albumin/globulin is the most abundant OPF. It is richer in lysine and asparagine/aspartic acid than other OPF. Most bran albumin/globulin proteins have a molecular weight (MW) lower than 30 k and their chromatographic profiles differ from those of flour. The prolamin has high levels of proline and glutamine/glutamic acid. It is rich in proteins with a MW of 30 to 45 k and about 66 k reflecting contamination with gliadin from endosperm. The glutelin has high levels of glycine, proline, and glutamine/glutamic acid. Its protein is of intermediate and high MW with little protein with MW lower than 30 k. The high (MWs from 80 to 120 k) and low (MW around 45 k) MW glutenin subunits of flour are also present in bran. The glutelin of wheat endosperm is named glutenin. Ball milling releases albumin/globulin and glutelin but not prolamin. Not all glutelin was endosperm glutenin as a substantial part was entrapped in the aleurone cells.     

藜麦-小麦粉的流变学特性及其面条研制

将藜麦粉以0%-30%的比例替代高筋小麦粉,研究藜麦粉替代对小麦粉品质特性及面条品质的影响。结果表明:随着藜麦粉替代量的增加,面粉峰值粘度降低47.73%、湿面筋含量降低42.52%、沉降值降低53.32%、稳定时间降低56.07%、弱化度升高84.62%,面粉加工品质下降。混合面粉中谷氨酸、脯氨酸含量降低,其余16中氨基酸含量上升,赖氨酸、组氨酸含量分别升高73.33%及80.00%,最为显著(p0.05)。赖氨酸、异亮氨酸占总氨基酸比例为10.94%、12.67%,逐渐接近联合国粮农组织推荐比例。面条感官评价结果显示,15%藜麦粉替代量在降低对照小麦粉面条弹性、硬度、韧性的同时,使面条具有了藜麦的风味与色泽,面条表面光滑、软硬适中,口感较好。混合面粉品质特性与面条感官评价指标的相关性研究显示,湿面筋含量、沉降值、形成时间、稳定时间、延伸度、最大拉伸阻力与面条总分呈极显著正相关,弱化度与面条总分呈极显著负相关,上述指标均与食味呈极显著负相关。该研究可为藜麦粉在面条制品中的应用提供理论依据。     

Determination of endogenous amino acid flow at the terminal ileum of the rat

In a comparative study endogenous amino acid flow was determined in twenty-four 190-g male rats (protein-replete) given diets containing synthetic amino acids as the sole nitrogen source but devoid of specific amino acids, and six rats fed a protein-free diet. Endogenous flows were not significantly different (P > 0.05) for aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine and lysine but were significantly higher (P < 0.05) under protein-free alimentation than amino acid alimentation for proline, glycine and alanine. This indicates that the protein-free method did not lead to lowered endogenous amino acid excretions owing to an altered amino acid metabolism in the protein-free state. The loss of some amino acids may be enhanced under protein-free alimentation. The high apparent digestibility of the synthetic amino acids not excluded from the diets (histidine, arginine, threonine, valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine, phenylalanine) indicated that their ileal excretions were mainly of endogenous origin. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) between the latter excretions and those obtained by feeding the rats a protein-free diet.     

和田红葡萄汁熬煮过程中游离氨基酸检测与分析

目的研究和田红葡萄汁在熬煮过程中,游离氨基酸含量随糖度升高的变化趋势。方法利用AccQ-Tag-高效液相色谱法对和田红葡萄熬煮汁中游离氨基酸进行定量检测。结果脯氨酸和精氨酸在慕萨莱思中含量最多,其次是赖氨酸、丝氨酸、谷氨酸、丙氨酸、苯丙氨酸,甲硫氨酸含量最少,半胱氨酸未检出。熬煮过程中多数氨基酸含量平稳上升,天冬氨酸和甘氨酸含量略有下降;当糖度达到26°Brix之后,丝氨酸、谷氨酸和甲硫氨酸含量有所下降。结论氨基酸的变化明显受到美拉德反应的影响,总氨基酸的浓缩为慕萨莱思自然发酵及其香味积累提供了前提条件。