Emulsifying properties and structural characteristics of β‐conglycinin and dextran conjugates synthesised in a pressurised liquid system

The purpose of this study was to characterise the Maillard reaction in a pressurised liquid system containing β‐conglycinin and dextran. The rate of browning and the free amino content in this liquid system, with an initial pH of 7.2, were measured after reaction under atmospheric pressure and at 10 MPa. The secondary and tertiary structures of the conjugates were analysed by circular dichroism, showing that the increased pressure accelerated the reaction rate of the free amino groups and reduced the rate of browning. Significant structural changes occurred in the tertiary structure of the conjugates. Additionally, the emulsifying properties of the β‐conglycinin–dextran conjugates produced were studied. The emulsifying properties of the conjugates produced at 10 MPa were higher than those made at atmospheric pressure.     

Effect of dextran glycation on nanofibril assembly of soya β‐conglycinin at pH 2.0 and the pH stability of nanofibrils

In this study, we investigated the effects of dextran glycation on soya β‐conglycinin self‐assembly into nanofibrils at 85 °C and pH 2.0, as well as their stability at pH 2.0–10.0. Although the hydrolysis rate of β‐conglycinin decreased, glycation significantly increased the structural change rate in the initial stage of nanofibril formation and the growth of nanofibril. It is suggested that the glycation of three subunits (α′, α, β) in β‐conglycinin may promote fibril assembly because the extension regions of α′ and α subunits play an important role in affecting the rate of structural changes in fibril formation. At neutral pH, conjugate nanofibrils are highly dispersible and transparent and remained greater structural stability compared with mixture. The improvement stability of conjugate nanofibrils may be contributed to dextran which provides some steric hindrance to prevent the aggregation of nanofibrils; this would also facilitate the application of soya β‐conglycinin nanofibrils in food industry.     

The phosphorylation and characterisation of soybean isolate and its β‐conglycinin component by casein kinase II

A commercial soybean isolate was phosphorylated using casein kinase II purified from the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Both major reserve proteins, β‐conglycinin and glycinin, were phosphorylated in a sequential way. The soybean isolate incorporated up to 0.7 mol phosphate per mole in 2 h. It was found that the phosphoester bonds were stable over time. The solubility of the phosphorylated isolate with respect to pH was not dramatically increased in comparison with the native one. However, counting the radioactivity of ³²P incorporated into the proteins (only the solubility of the phosphorylated proteins was measured in this case) showed that the solubility of the proteins was dramatically improved (up to 90% solubility for phosphorylated β‐conglycinin at pH 4). β‐Conglycinin became more soluble in the presence of CaCl₂ upon phosphorylation; this was not the case for the isolate. The iron‐binding capacity of the soy isolate and β‐conglycinin was significantly improved after phosphorylation (two and six times respectively). © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of pepsin hydrolysis on the soy β‐conglycinin aggregates formed by heat treatment at different pH

The effects of pepsin hydrolysis on the β‐conglycinin aggregates formed by heat treatment at different pH were investigated. Results showed that fibrils were still observed, whereas the random aggregates were easily to be digested in the simulated gastric fluid. Electrophoresis and molecular weight analysis indicated that large aggregates still existed after pepsin treatment for fibrils. Hydrolysis resulted in changes in the apparent viscosity (ηapp) of 6% fibril solutions. The ηapp at the shear rate range (0–30 s^?1) increased in the order of fibrils < fibrils with pepsin for 60 min < fibrils with pepsin for 30 min. Smaller peptide/fibril fragments were generated, and additional aggregates were reformed during the hydrolysis process, as evidenced by thioflavin T and atomic force microscopy images. The native β‐conglycinin hydrolysates comprised a mixture of polypeptides enriched in about 47 kDa. These findings would provide valuable information about effects of enzymatic hydrolysis on plant oligometric globulin aggregates.     

Screening of β‐Glucosidase and β‐Xylosidase Activities in Four Non‐Saccharomyces Yeast Isolates

The finding of new isolates of non‐Saccharomyces yeasts, showing beneficial enzymes (such as β‐glucosidase and β‐xylosidase), can contribute to the production of quality wines. In a selection and characterization program, we have studied 114 isolates of non‐Saccharomyces yeasts. Four isolates were selected because of their both high β‐glucosidase and β‐xylosidase activities. The ribosomal D1/D2 regions were sequenced to identify them as Pichia membranifaciens Pm7, Hanseniaspora vineae Hv3, H. uvarum Hu8, and Wickerhamomyces anomalus Wa1. The induction process was optimized to be carried on YNB‐medium supplemented with 4% xylan, inoculated with 106 cfu/mL and incubated 48 h at 28 °C without agitation. Most of the strains had a pH optimum of 5.0 to 6.0 for both the β‐glucosidase and β‐xylosidase activities. The effect of sugars was different for each isolate and activity. Each isolate showed a characteristic set of inhibition, enhancement or null effect for β‐glucosidase and β‐xylosidase. The volatile compounds liberated from wine incubated with each of the 4 yeasts were also studied, showing an overall terpene increase (1.1 to 1.3‐folds) when wines were treated with non‐Saccharomyces isolates. In detail, terpineol, 4‐vinyl‐phenol and 2‐methoxy‐4‐vinylphenol increased after the addition of Hanseniaspora isolates. Wines treated with Hanseniaspora, Wickerhamomyces, or Pichia produced more 2‐phenyl ethanol than those inoculated with other yeasts.     

Purification and physicochemical characterization of ovine β‐lactoglobulin and α‐lactalbumin

Ovine whey proteins were fractionated and studied by using different analytical techniques. Anion‐exchange chromatography and reversed‐phase high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed the presence of two fractions of β‐lactoglobulin but only one of α‐lactalbumin. Gel permeation and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis allowed the calculation of the apparent molecular mass of each component, while HPLC coupled to electrospray ionisation‐mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) technique, giving the exact molecular masses, demonstrated the presence of two variants A and B of ovine β‐lactoglobulin. Amino acid compositions of the two variants of β‐lactoglobulin differed only in their His and Tyr contents. Circular dichroism spectroscopy profiles showed pH conformation changes of each component. The thermograms of the different whey protein components showed a higher heat resistance of β‐lactoglobulin A compared to β‐lactoglobulin B at pH 2, and indicated high instability of ovine α‐lactalbumin at this pH.     

Anticancer activity of bovine α‐lactalbumin treated with microbial transglutaminase

This study investigated the effects of bovine α‐lactalbumin (α‐La) treated with microbial transglutaminase on human cancer cells, cell cultures and growth rate assays. The anticancer activity for 10 mg/mL of bovine α‐lactalbumin (α‐La) was measured as ～90% in a human colorectal cancer cell line HCT 116. For the human bone cancer cell line SJSA‐1, α‐La hydrolysis resulted in higher cytotoxicity compared to untreated tumour cells. The formation of polymers of α‐La was suppressed by the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, indicating that polymers of α‐La are promoted by metal ions such as Ca²⁺. The effect of α‐La on the morphology of SJSA‐1 cells was manifested as morphological changes compatible with apoptosis. Bovine milk α‐La with and without microbial transglutaminase is considered a valuable food ingredient and a nutraceutical for human health.     

Enzymatic Properties of β‐1,3‐Glucanase from Streptomyces sp Mo.

Streptomyces sp Mo endo‐β‐1,3‐glucanase was found to have hydrolyzing activity toward curdlan and released laminarioligosaccharides selectively. The molecular weight was estimated to be 36000 Da and its N‐terminal amino acid sequence was VTPPDISVTN. The optimal pH was 6 and the enzyme was found to be stable from pH 5 to 8. The optimal temperature was 60 °C and the activity was stable below 50 °C. The enzyme hydrolyzed selectively curdlan containing only β‐1,3 linkages. The enzyme had 89% relative activity toward Laminaria digitata laminarin, which contains a small amount of β‐1,6 linkages compared with curdlan, while Eisenia bicyclis laminarin with a higher amount of β‐1,6‐linkages, was not hydrolyzed. Mo enzyme adsorbed completely on curdlan powder. The enzymatic hydrolysis of curdlan powder resulted in the accumulation of laminaribiose (yield 81.7%). Trisaccharide was inevitably released from the hydrolysis of laminarioligosaccharides with 5 to 7 degrees of polymerization (DP). Although the enzyme cleaved off disaccharide (DP 2) from tetrasaccharide (DP 4), the reaction rate was lower than those of DP 5 to 7. The results indicated that the active site of Mo endo‐β‐1,3‐glucanase can efficiently recognize glucosyl residue chain of greater than DP 5 and hydrolyzes the β‐1,3 linkage between the 3rd and 4th glucosyl residue.     

Characterization of the Supermolecular Structure of Polydatin/6‐O‐α‐Maltosyl‐β‐cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex

Polydatin is the main bioactive ingredient in many medicinal plants, such as Hu‐zhang (Polygonum cuspidatum), with many bioactivities. However, its poor aqueous solubility restricts its application in functional food. In this work, 6‐O‐α‐Maltosyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (Malt‐β‐CD), a new kind of β‐CD derivative was used to enhance the aqueous solubility and stability of polydatin by forming the inclusion complex. The phase solubility study showed that polydatin and Malt‐β‐CD could form the complex with the stoichiometric ratio of 1:1. The supermolecular structure of the polydatin/Malt‐β‐CD complex was characterized by ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), X‐ray diffractometry (XRD), thermogravimetric/differential scanning calorimetry (TG/DSC), and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (¹H‐NMR) spectroscopy. The changes of the characteristic spectral and thermal properties of polydatin suggested that polydatin could entrap inside the cavity of Malt‐β‐CD. Furthermore, to reasonably understand the complexation mode, the supermolecular structure of polydatin/Malt‐β‐CD inclusion complex was postulated by a molecular docking method based on Autodock 4.2.3. It was clearly observed that the ring B of polydatin oriented toward the narrow rim of Malt‐β‐CD with ring A and glucosyl group practically exposed to the wide rim by hydrogen bonding, which was in a good agreement with the spectral data.     

Effect of microbial transglutaminase on autolysis and gelation of lizardfish surimi

In the absence of microbial transglutaminase (MTGase), the textural properties of lizardfish surimi (Saurida spp) improved when pre‐incubated at 4 and 25 °C for 24 and 4 h, respectively. MTGase optimally catalyzed incorporation of monodansylcadaverine (MDC) into surimi at 40 °C. Addition of MTGase appeared to reduce autolytic activity at 25 and 40 °C, but had no effect on autolytic activity at 65 °C. Breaking force and deformation of lizardfish surimi significantly improved when 0.1 unit MTGase g^?1 surimi (1.8 g kg^?1) was added and pre‐incubated at either 25 or 40 °C. Textural properties improved concomitant with cross‐linked polymers of myosin heavy chain and tropomyosin, but not actin. Addition of MTGase also improved the storage modulus (G′). The gel network of surimi mixed with MTGase and pre‐incubated at 40 °C readily formed during the pre‐incubation period, while formation of the gel network began at 48.1 °C in the absence of MTGase. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Structural characterisation of β‐cyclodextrin crosslinked by adipic acid

This study was conducted to investigate the structural characterisation of β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) crosslinked by adipic acid. β‐CD was treated with different concentrations (0%, 5%, 10% and 15%, w/v) of adipic acid. Different instruments, such as scanning electron microsope (SEM), Fourier‐transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectroscopy and ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were used to find out chemical structure in the crosslinked β‐CD. SEM analysis suggested that crosslinking β‐CD with 15% adipic acid changed the original morphology and considerably increased the particle size of the raw material. FT‐IR spectroscopy data showed that an intensive absorption band at 1706 cm^?1 was present in the β‐CD samples treated with 10% and 15% adipic acid, indicating a crosslinking between hydroxyl groups of β‐CD and carboxyl groups of adipic acid. NMR spectra revealed that the ester linkages between hydroxyl groups of β‐CD and carboxyl groups of adipic acid were formed after crosslinking of β‐CD with adipic acid.     

Thermal modifications of structure and codenaturation of α‐lactalbumin and β‐lactoglobulin induce changes of solubility and susceptibility to proteases

Study of heat denaturation of major whey proteins (β‐lactoglobulin or α‐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 co‐denaturation partner, and of existence of a previous thermal pretreatment (industrial whey). α‐Lactalbumin, usually resistant to tryptic hydrolysis, aggregated after heating at ⪈85°C. After its denaturation, α‐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°C of β‐lactoglobulin increased its aggregation and exposure of its peptic cleavage sites. The co‐denaturation of α‐lactalbumin with β‐lactoglobulin increased their aggregation and resulted in complete exposure of β‐lactoglobulin peptic cleavage sites and partial unveiling of α‐lactalbumin tryptic cleavage sites. The exposure of α‐lactalbumin tryptic cleavage sites was slightly enhanced when the α‐lactalbumin/β‐lactoglobulin mixture was heated at pH 7.5. Co‐denaturation of fresh whey by heating at 95°C and pH 4.5 and above produced aggregates stabilized mostly by covalent disulfide bonds easily reduced by β‐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.