Molecular self-assembly of partially hydrolysed alpha-lactalbumin resulting in strong gels with a novel microstructure

Gelation of alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-la) incubated with a protease from Bacillus licheniformis (BLP) at 50 degrees C for 4 h was monitored using small oscillatory shear and the large deformation properties of final gels were characterized by uniaxial compression. Transmission electron microscopy was used to visualize the microstructure. Gels made from alpha-la (10 g/l) using BLP were almost transparent, although somewhat whitish, and they were more than 20 times stiffer (measured as complex modulus) than equivalent gels made from beta-lactoglobulin (beta-lg) at the same concentration. The microstructure of the gels consisted of non-branching, apparently hollow strands with a uniform diameter close to 20 nm, similar in overall structure to microtubules. Adding Ca2+ in amounts of 50 or 100 mM changed the spatial distribution of the strands and resulted in a reduction in the failure stress recorded in uniaxial compression. Apart from affecting the microstructure, Ca2+ was shown to be essential for the formation of the gels. It is proposed. that the mechanism behind the self-assembly of the partially hydrolysed alpha-la into long tubes is a spatially restricted creation of ionic bonds between Ca2+ and carboxyl acid groups on peptide fragments resulting from the action of BLP on alpha-la. Proteolysis of alpha-la with BLP in the presence of Ca2+ thus results in formation of a strong gel with a microstructure not previously observed in food protein systems.     

Characterization of peptides released from rabbit skeletal muscle troponin-T by μ-calpain under conditions of low temperature and high ionic strength

Rabbit skeletal muscle troponin-T (200 μg ml(-1)) was incubated with μ-calpain (2 μl ml(-1)) under conditions of low temperature and high ionic strength for 180 min at 4°C and the peptides released analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Troponin-T was hydrolyzed rapidly with the simultaneous appearance of eight peptides with masses of less than 14 up to 26 kDa. Two peptides produced by 10 min of incubation were electroblotted and analysis of these peptides by N-terminal sequencing and mass spectrometry showed that the principal cleavage sites of μ-calpain on troponin-T were at Thr(45)-Ala(46), Leu(69)-Met(70), Glu(220)-Lys(221) and Asn(231)-Val(232). The peptides present in insufficient quantity for electroblotting were isolated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Cleavage sites were also identified at Met(151)-Gly(152), Asn(188)-Ile(189), Lys(223)-Arg(224), Arg(233)-Ala(234) and Ala(240)-Lys(241). In general, μ-calpain cleaved bonds containing one hydrophobic amino acid residue and mainly towards the C-terminus of troponin-T.     

Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of whey protein hydrolysates generated at different total solids levels

Whey protein hydrolysates were generated at different total solids (TS) levels (50-300 g/l) using the commercially available proteolytic preparation Debitrase HYW20, while enzyme to substrate ratio, pH and temperature were maintained constant. Hydrolysis proceeded at a faster rate at lower TS reaching a degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 16.6% at 300 g TS/l, compared with a DH of 22.7% at 50 g TS/l after 6 h hydrolysis. The slower breakdown of intact whey proteins at high TS was quantified by gel-permeation HPLC. Reversed-phase (RP) HPLC of hydrolysate samples of equivalent DH (approximately 15%) generated at different TS levels indicated that certain hydrophobic peptide peaks were present at higher levels in hydrolysates generated at low TS. Sensory evaluation showed that hydrolysates with equivalent DH values were significantly (P < 0.0005) less bitter when generated at 300 g TS/l (mean bitterness score = 25.4%) than hydrolysates generated at 50 g TS/l (mean bitterness score = 39.9%). A specific hydrophobic peptide peak present at higher concentrations in hydrolysates generated at low TS was isolated and identified as beta-lactoglobulin f(43-57), a fragment having the physical and chemical characteristics of a bitter peptide.     

Effect of pH and Pepsin Limited Hydrolysis on the Structure and Functional Properties of Soybean Protein Hydrolysates

Effects of limited enzymatic hydrolysis with pepsin on the functional properties and structure characteristics of soybean proteins were investigated. Hydrolysates with different incubation time (10 to 900 min) were prepared. Results showed that SPI hydrolyzed for 60 min exhibited the best emulsibility and the ability of resisting freezing/thawing. Sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis proved that pepsin can degrade glycinin but had little effect on the α’ subunit of β‐conglycinin. The structure unfolding reached the largest extent after incubation for 60 min and the soluble and flexible aggregates were formed. After 120 min, glycinin was degraded totally and β‐conglycinin formed insoluble aggregates. Moreover, 2 methods were applied for the deactivation of pepsin to obtain final hydrolysates at pH 2.0 and 7.0, respectively. The structure analysis revealed that the unfolding extent and structure characteristic were different in these 2 conditions. When adjusting the pH value from 2.0 to 7.0, the unfolding protein molecular would reaggregate again at pH 7.0 due to the charge neutralization, and the hydrodynamic diameter and λ_max absorbance decreased compared to pH 2.0. Moreover, some of the insoluble aggregates formed at pH 2.0 became soluble at pH 7.0, because of the salt‐in phenomenon.     

Surface Properties of Heat‐Induced Soluble Soy Protein Aggregates of Different Molecular Masses

Suspensions (2% and 5%, w/v) of soy protein isolate (SPI) were heated at 80, 90, or 100 °C for different time periods to produce soluble aggregates of different molecular sizes to investigate the relationship between particle size and surface properties (emulsions and foams). Soluble aggregates generated in these model systems were characterized by gel permeation chromatography and sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Heat treatment increased surface hydrophobicity, induced SPI aggregation via hydrophobic interaction and disulfide bonds, and formed soluble aggregates of different sizes. Heating of 5% SPI always promoted large‐size aggregate (LA; >1000 kDa) formation irrespective of temperature, whereas the aggregate size distribution in 2% SPI was temperature dependent: the LA fraction progressively rose with temperature (80→90→100 °C), corresponding to the attenuation of medium‐size aggregates (MA; 670 to 1000 kDa) initially abundant at 80 °C. Heated SPI with abundant LA (>50%) promoted foam stability. LA also exhibited excellent emulsifying activity and stabilized emulsions by promoting the formation of small oil droplets covered with a thick interfacial protein layer. However, despite a similar influence on emulsion stability, MA enhanced foaming capacity but were less capable of stabilizing emulsions than LA. The functionality variation between heated SPI samples is clearly related to the distribution of aggregates that differ in molecular size and surface activity. The findings may encourage further research to develop functional SPI aggregates for various commercial applications.     

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory properties of whey protein digests: concentration and characterization of active peptides

The aim of this study was to identify whey-derived peptides with angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. The bovine whey proteins alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin were hydrolysed with pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, pancreatin, elastase or carboxypeptidase alone and in combination. The total hydrolysates were fractionated in a two step ultrafiltration process, first with a 30 kDa membrane and then with a 1 kDa membrane. Inhibition of ACE was analysed spectrophotometrically. The peptides were isolated by chromatography and identified by mass and sequencing analysis. The most potent inhibitory peptides were synthesized by the 9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl solid phase method. Inhibition of ACE was observed after hydrolysis with trypsin alone, and with an enzyme combination containing pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin. Whey protein digests gave a 50% inhibition (IC50) of ACE activity at concentration ranges within 345-1733 micrograms/ml. The IC50 values for the 1-30 kDa fractions ranged from 485 to 1134 micrograms/ml and for the < 1 kDa fraction from 109 to 837 mg/ml. Several ACE-inhibitory peptides were isolated from the hydrolysates by reversed-phase chromatography, and the potencies of the purified peptide fractions had IC50 values of 77-1062 microM. The ACE-inhibitory peptides identified were alpha-lactalbumin fractions (50-52), (99-108) and (104-108) and beta-lactoglobulin fractions (22-25), (32-40), (81-83), (94-100), (106-111) and (142-146).     

Xanthohumol induces apoptosis in cultured 40-16 human colon cancer cells by activation of the death receptor- and mitochondrial pathway

Xanthohumol (XN) is one of the major prenylflavonoids found in hop cones (Humulus lupulus L.). In this study, we investigated the cell growth inhibitory potential of XN on cultured human colon cancer cells. Cell proliferation was measured by sulforhodamine B staining. Poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) cleavage, activation of caspases-3, -7, -8, and -9, and Bcl-2 family protein expression were detected by Western blot analyses. XN significantly reduced proliferation of the HCT 116-derived colon cancer cell line 40--16. Half-maximal inhibitory concentrations decreased from 4.1 microM after 24 h treatment to 3.6 and 2.6 microM after 48 and 72 h incubation, respectively. Treatment with 15 microM XN for 48 h and with 5 microM for 72 h led to the detection of the cleaved 89 kDa fragment of 116 kDa PARP as an indication of apoptosis induction. Concomitantly, we observed activation and cleavage of the effector caspases-3 and -7, induced by activation of the initiator caspases -8 and -9. Expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 was down regulated when the cells were treated with XN for 48--72 h. We conclude that induction of apoptosis by downregulation of Bcl-2 and activation of the caspase cascade may contribute to the chemopreventive or therapeutic potential of XN.     

Calpain3的初步提取和对其自动降解性的研究

骨骼肌特异性的Calpain3(又称Ncl-1、p94、CAPN3)是除μ-Calpain和m-Calpain以外,另一个可能与肉类嫩化有关的Calpains成员。由于Calpain3具有很强的自动降解性,使得对其的提取纯化和依钙性的研究很难进行。本实验从牛肉背最长肌中提取到了具有一定活性的Calpain3粗酶液,通过蛋白质免疫印迹法,对Calpain3的随时间的降解变化进行了研究,并对不同Ca2+浓度下Calpain3自动降解的变化进行了比较系统的探讨,研究发现Calpian3的自动降解分为四个连续性的过程:首先降解为89、68和58kDa的中间片断,然后进一步降解为55kDa的片断并在一定时间内保持不变,其降解的速度与Ca2+浓度和反应时间成正比。     

The mechanism of formation of gels from myosin molecules

Heat-set myosin gels form the basis of the adhesive that binds particles of meat together in meat products. The manner in which a gel network is formed from myosin has been investigated by studying the aggregates produced when dilute solutions of rabbit skeletal myosin molecules in 0.6 M KCI, 20 mM potassium phosphate, pH 6.5, were heated at a single temperature between 30 and 60°C. The aggregates have been examined by transmission electron microscopy after either negative staining or rotary shadowing. After heating at 30°C for 30 min. no change in structure is detected. After heating at 35°C for 30 min, the two heads of some myosin molecules coalesce and some dimers are formed by aggregation through the heads. After heating at 40°C for 30 min. up to about 13 myosin molecules aggregate through their heads to form a globular mass up to 60 nm across with the tails radiating outwards. At higher temperatures such head-linked oligomers aggregate further. At 48°C oligomers coexist with aggregates formed by the coalescence of two or more oligomers. In such aggregates the globular masses are in close proximity and tails radiate from them. After heating myosin at 50°C, aggregates are formed by the coalescence of more oligomers and the tails are seen only indistinctly. At 60°C the particles formed contain a large number of globular masses and are typically 100 to 200 nm across, occasionally up to 1 μm. It is possible that the globules making up the strands of the gel networks in scanning electron micrographs are composed of similar particles. It is suggested that these globules are formed by head-head interactions but that tail-tail interactions may be important in forming the strands and cross-links of the gel network. When a heat-set myosin gel is compacted by centrifugation, the supernate contains essentially all the LC1 and LC3 light chains of the parent molecule but only a small fraction of the LC2 light chains. We suppose that dissociation of the LC1 and LC3 chains from the heads creates hydrophobic patches which cause intramolecular and intermolecular head association.     

Influence of protein and mineral composition on the formation of whey protein heat-induced microgels

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the initial protein and mineral composition on the formation of whey protein microgels at a protein concentration of 4 wt%. As a model system, both demineralized α-lactalbumin (α-la) and β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) were mixed at 20/80, 50/50 and 80/20 α-la/β-lg ratios and heated (85 °C, 15 min) in the pH range 5.7–6.2. Pure dispersions of α-la were not forming microgels but rather precipitates (12%) and a majority of soluble aggregates (83%). Upon mixing with β-lg, microgels were only obtained for the 20/80 ratio at pH 5.7 or for pure β-lg at pH 5.8. Interestingly, the latter ratio was close to the natural composition occurring in most of the commercial whey protein isolates (WPIs). For higher ratios, particles were more or less aggregated and not spherical. As for α-la alone, most of the denatured proteins formed soluble aggregates. These results might be explained by the fact that α-la reduced the hydrophobic attractive forces involved in microgel formation, shifting the equilibrium towards the soluble aggregates pathway. This assumption was confirmed by the very low surface hydrophobicity of the soluble aggregates determined by ANS binding experiments. The conversion yield from native protein into microgels was about 51% for the 20/80 α-la/β-lg model mixture, whereas it was higher (70–85%) for commercial WPIs under similar experimental conditions. To test the possible effect of the initial mineral composition of the commercial WPIs, these products were demineralized and their ability to form microgels was tested again. After demineralisation, WPIs behaved very similarly to the 20/80 α-la/β-lg model system, the yield of conversion into microgels dropping to about 65% at pH 5.7. It was therefore concluded that in addition to the α-la/β-lg mixing ratio that was controlling hydrophobic interactions between denatured proteins that was accounting for about 50% of the microgel conversion yield, the initial mineral composition of WPIs contributed to another 20–35% yield as it was modulating the repulsive forces between the denatured proteins, promoting aggregation.     

基于红外光谱分析热处理对牛乳蛋白质二级结构的影响

运用傅里叶变换红外光谱技术对乳蛋白及其酰胺Ⅰ带进行解析,进一步用红外解谱法对其二级结构进行表征。以原料乳为对照,研究65℃/30 min(低温长时巴氏杀菌)、80℃/15 s(高温短时巴氏杀菌)、95℃/5 min(酸乳热处理)、137℃/5 s(超高温灭菌)等不同热处理条件对乳中蛋白质二级结构的影响。结果表明,热处理会导致乳蛋白间发生相互作用,乳蛋白原空间结构受到破坏,导致分子内氢键被破坏。不同热处理程度的乳蛋白酰胺Ⅰ带均向低波数方向发生了不同程度的红移,表明乳蛋白变性过程中疏水氨基酸残基暴露形成分子间氢键。同时热处理后乳蛋白各二级结构比例发生明显改变。α-螺旋含量显著降低(P0.05),无规卷曲含量显著升高(P0.05),β-转角及β-折叠含量在加热过程均呈先增加后减少变化趋势,表明热处理程度增强导致部分有序结构向无规卷曲结构转化,蛋白质热变性后会发生热聚集现象,且β-折叠、β-转角结构在热聚集体的形成过程中具有重要作用。     

Aggregation of hydrophobic soybean protein hydrolysates: Changes in molecular weight distribution during storage

The stability and molecular weight of peptides play important roles in their functional and biological properties. In this study, soybean protein hydrolysates (SPHs) with different hydrophobic characteristics were used to evaluate the aggregation of peptides during storage at −20 °C. SPHs were isolated from immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and size expulsion HPLC showed the molecular weight distribution of them at different storage times. As time elapsed, some high molecular weight peptides formed from the original SPHs, and the content of the newly formed high molecular weight peptides produced from the highly hydrophobic SPHs was considerably large. The aggregation could be broken by 6 mol/l urea and 20 g/l SDS. The damage caused by 6 mol/l urea was stronger than that of 20 g/l SDS. The results suggested that hydrophobic interaction may promote the aggregation of SPHs during storage.     

Expression of Soluble Thioredoxin Fused-Carp (Cyprinus carpio) Ovarian Cystatin in Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT: A DNA-encoding thioredoxin-carp ovarian cystatin (trx-cystatin) was ligated into pET-23a(+) and transformed into Escherichia coli AD494(DE3). High level of soluble recombinant trx-cystatin, expressed in E. coli was purified by 5 min of heating at 70 °C, Q-Sepahrose HP, and Sephacryl S-100 HR chromatographs. Its molecular mass was 28 kDa. It could be cleaved into a recombinant thioredoxin (16 kDa) and a mature carp ovarian cystatin (12 kDa) by enterokinase. The 12-kDa mature carp ovarian cystatin was further purified by FPLC Superdex 75 chromatography. Both recombinant trx-fused and carp ovarian cystatins were thermostable proteins and exhibited papain-like protease inhibition activity comparable to the wild-type cystatin.     

Purification of goat beta-lactoglobulin from whey by an ultrafiltration membrane enzymic reactor

This paper presents a novel contribution to the purification of goat beta-lactoglobulin by using an ultrafiltration membrane enzymic reactor. The basis of the purification process was the enzymic hydrolysis of contaminating proteins, alpha-lactalbumin and traces of serum albumin, by pepsin at 40 degrees C and pH 2, conditions under which beta-lactoglobulin is resistant to peptic digestion. Simultaneously, beta-lactoglobulin and peptides were separated by ultrafiltration. beta-Lactoglobulin was retained in the reactor while peptides generated by hydrolysis from alpha-lactalbumin and serum albumin permeated through the membrane. The process was made continuous by the addition of fresh whey to replace the lost permeate. Three mineral membranes with 10, 30 and 50 kDa molecular mass cut-off were tested and the 30 kDa membrane was selected for the continuous process. The simultaneous purification and concentration of beta-lactoglobulin from clarified goats' whey was achieved in a single step. The ultrafiltration membrane enzymic reactor could treat eight reactor volumes of clarified whey. The recovery of beta-lactoglobulin was 74%, its purity was 84% and its concentration 6.6-fold that in the initial clarified whey.     

Formation of biofilm by Staphylococcus xylosus

The ability of 12 Staphylococcus xylosus strains to form biofilm was determined through the study of different criteria. Eleven out of the 12 strains were able to form biofilm, 10 preferentially on hydrophilic support (glass) and one, S. xylosus C2a, on both hydrophilic and hydrophobic (polystyrene) supports. The determination of bacterial surface properties showed that all strains were negatively charged with five strains moderately hydrophobic and seven hydrophilic. The bap and icaA genes, important for biofilm formation of some staphylococci, were searched. All strains were bap positive but icaA negative. Furthermore, S. xylosus strain C2a was studied on two supports widely used in the food industry, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE, hydrophobic) and stainless steel (hydrophilic) and appeared to adhere preferentially on stainless steel. Addition of 20 g/l of NaCl to Tryptic Soy Broth medium (TSB) did not improve significantly its adhesion but enhanced both bacterial growth and cell survival, which were optimum in this medium. Environmental scanning electron microscopy showed that S. xylosus C2a colonized the surface of stainless steel chips with intercellular spaces. The strain formed cell aggregates embedded in an amorphous polysaccharidic matrix. Indeed, synthesis of polysaccharides increased during growth on stainless steel chips in TSB.     

Gelation Mechanism of Soybean 11S Globulin: Formation of Soluble Aggregates as Transient Intermediates

Thermal association-dissociation behavior of soybean 11S globulin was investigated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Soluble aggregates with a molecular weight of 8 × 10⁶ were formed when 0.5% and 5% protein solutions were heated for 1 min at 100°C. At the lower protein concentration, subsequent heating caused disappearance of the soluble aggregate followed by complete dissociation into acidic and basic subunits. At the higher concentration, however, subsequent heating caused formation of highly polymerized aggregates, and gel was formed after 5 min of heating. The soluble aggregates appear to be transient intermediates in the course of gel formation of 11S globulin.     

Thermal modifications of structure and co-denaturation of alpha-lactalbumin and beta-lactoglobulin induce changes of solubility and susceptibility to proteases

Study of heat denaturation of major whey proteins (beta-lactoglobulin or alpha-lactalbumin) either in separated purified forms, or in forms present in fresh industrial whey or in recomposed mixture respecting whey proportions, indicated significant differences in their denaturation depending on pH, temperature of heating, presence or absence of other codenaturation partner, and of existence of a previous thermal pretreatment (industrial whey). alpha-Lactalbumin, usually resistant to tryptic hydrolysis, aggregated after heating at > or = 85 degrees C. After its denaturation, alpha-lactalbumin was susceptible to tryptic hydrolysis probably because of exposure of its previously hidden tryptic cleavage sites (Lys-X and Arg-X bonds). Heating over 85 degrees C of beta-lactoglobulin increased its aggregation and exposure of its peptic cleavage sites. The co-denaturation of alpha-lactalbumin with beta-lactoglobulin increased their aggregation and resulted in complete exposure of beta-lactoglobulin peptic cleavage sites and partial unveiling of alpha-lactalbumin tryptic cleavage sites. The exposure of alpha-lactalbumin tryptic cleavage sites was slightly enhanced when the alpha-lactalbumin/beta-lactoglobulin mixture was heated at pH 7.5. Co-denaturation of fresh whey by heating at 95 degrees C and pH 4.5 and above produced aggregates stabilized mostly by covalent disulfide bonds easily reduced by beta-mercaptoethanol. The aggregates stabilized by covalent bonds other than disulfide arose from a same thermal treatment but performed at pH 3.5. Thermal treatment of whey at pH 7.5 considerably enhanced tryptic and peptic hydrolysis of both major proteins.     

A novel technique for differentiation of proteins in the development of acid gel structure from control and heat treated milk using confocal scanning laser microscopy

The incorporation of caseins and whey proteins into acid gels produced from unheated and heat treated skimmed milk was studied by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM) using fluorescent labelled proteins. Bovine casein micelles were labelled using Alexa Fluor 594, while whey proteins were labelled using Alexa Fluor 488. Samples of the labelled protein solutions were introduced into aliquots of pasteurised skim milk, and skim milk heated to 90 degrees C for 2 min and 95 degrees C for 8 min. The milk was acidified at 40 degrees C to a final pH of 4.4 using 20 g glucono-delta-lactone/l (GDL). The formation of gels was observed with CSLM at two wavelengths (488 nm and 594 nm), and also by visual and rheological methods. In the control milk, as pH decreased distinct casein aggregates appeared, and as further pH reduction occurred, the whey proteins could be seen to coat the casein aggregates. With the heated milks, the gel structure was formed of continuous strands consisting of both casein and whey protein. The formation of the gel network was correlated with an increase in the elastic modulus for all three treatments, in relation to the severity of heat treatment. This model system allows the separate observation of the caseins and whey proteins, and the study of the interactions between the two protein fractions during the formation of the acid gel structure, on a real-time basis. The system could therefore be a valuable tool in the study of structure formation in yoghurt and other dairy protein systems.     

The roles of disulphide and non-covalent bonding in the functional properties of heat-induced whey protein gels

Heat-induced gelation (80 degrees C, 30 min or 85 degrees C, 60 min) of whey protein concentrate (WPC) solutions was studied using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic rheology and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The WPC solutions (150 g/kg, pH 6.9) were prepared by dispersing WPC powder in water (control), 10 g/kg sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) solution or 10 mM-dithiothreitol (DTT) solution. The WPC gels containing SDS were more translucent than the control gels, which were slightly more translucent than the gels containing DTT. TEM analyses showed that the SDS-gels had finer aggregate structure (approximately equal to 10 nm) than the control gels (approximately equal to 100 nm), whereas the DTT-gels had a more particulate structure (approximately equal to 200 to 300 nm). Dynamic rheology measurements showed that the control WPC gels had storage modulus (G) values (approximately equal to 13,500 Pa) that were approximately equal to 25 times higher than those of the SDS-gels (approximately equal to 550 Pa) and less than half those of the DTT-gels after cooling. Compression tests showed that the DTT-gels were more rigid and more brittle than the control gels, whereas the SDS-gels were softer and more rubbery than either the control gels or the DTT-gels. PAGE analyses of WPC gel samples revealed that the control WPC solutions heated at 85 degrees C for 10 min contained both disulphide bonds and non-covalent linkages. In both the SDS-solutions and the DTT-solutions, the denatured whey protein molecules were in the form of monomers or small aggregates. It is likely that, on more extended heating, more disulphide linkages were formed in the SDS-gels whereas more hydrophobic aggregates were formed in the DTT-gels. These results demonstrate that the properties of heat-induced WPC gels are strongly influenced by non-covalent bonding. Intermolecular disulphide bonds appeared to give the rubbery nature of heat-induced WPC gels whereas non-covalent bonds their rigidity and brittle texture.     

Characterization of disinfection byproduct precursors based on hydrophobicity and molecular size

Natural organic matter (NOM) from five water sources was fractionated using XAD resins and ultrafiltration membranes into different groups based on hydrophobicity and molecular weight (MW), respectively. The disinfection byproduct formation from each fraction during chlorination and chloramination was studied. In tests using chlorination, hydrophobic and high MW (e.g., >0.5 kDa) precursors produced more unknown total organic halogen (UTOX) than corresponding hydrophilic and low MW (e.g., <0.5 kDa) precursors. Trihaloacetic acid (THAA) precursors were more hydrophobic than trihalomethane (THM) precursors. The formation of THM and THAA was similar among different fractions for a water with low humic content. Hydrophilic and low MW (<0.5 kDa) NOM fractions gave the highest dihaloacetic acid (DHAA) yields. No significant difference was found for DHAA formation among different NOM fractions during chloramination. Increasing pH from 6 to 9 led to lower TOX formation for hydrophobic and high MW NOM fractions but had little impact on TOX yields from hydrophilic and low MW fractions. Bromine and iodine were more reactive with hydrophilic and low MW precursors as measured by THM or HAA formation than their corresponding hydrophobic and high MW precursors. However, hydrophobic and high MW precursors produced more UTOX when reacting with bromine and iodine.