Pea,Chickpea and Lentil Protein Isolates: Physicochemical Characterization and Emulsifying Properties

This work is focused on physicochemical and emulsifying properties of pea (PP), chickpea (CP) and lentil (LP) proteins. We evaluated the molecular weight distributions, surface net charge, free sulfhydryl group (SH) and disulfide bond (SS) contents, protein solubility and thermal stability of the protein isolates. Their emulsifying properties (droplet size distribution, flocculation, coalescence and creaming) were also determined as function of pH values. The three protein isolates exhibit similar physicochemical properties, including good solubility and high thermal stability despite a high degree of denaturation. In addition, we analysed the influence of pH on stability of oil-in-water (O/W; 10 wt%/90 wt%) emulsions stabilized by the legume protein isolates. Concerning emulsifying ability and stability, the most unfavourable results for all three protein isolates relate to their isoelectric point (pI?=?4.5). A significant improvement in emulsion stability takes place as the pH value departs from the pI. Overall, this study indicates that pea, chickpea and lentil proteins have great potential as food emulsifiers.     

Conservative chemical modification of proteins to study the effects of a single protein property on partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems

Relatively conservative modifications of three proteins were carried out to alter their surface properties. The protein properties modified were hydrophobicity and charge. This was done by acylation of amino groups with anhydrides. For the hydrophobic modification experiments, two proteins (beta-lactoglobulin and bovine serum albumin [BSA]) and four anhydrides (hexanoic, butyric, succinic, acetic) were used. For the modification of surface charge the protein thaumatin was selected and various proportions of the free amino groups were blocked with acetic anhydride to give a series of proteins with differing isoelectric points. Detailed characterization and purification of selected modified proteins was carried out including molecular weight measurements and conformational analysis. The criteria used for selecting the modified proteins for subsequent investigation of their partitioning in aqueous two-phase systems (ATPS) is described. With a judicious choice of starting material it was found that limited chemical modifications to proteins could effectively alter surface hydrophobicity or charge almost independently, with little effect on other molecular properties. It appears, however, that the method for chemical modification and the reaction conditions must also be carefully controlled. (c) 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Improvement of the Surface Functional Properties of β-Lactoglobulin and α-Lactalbumin by Heating in a Dry State

Controlled heating in a dry state greatly improved the surface functional properties of whey proteins (β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin). Although whey proteins were completely insolubilized by heating at 80°C in an aqueous solution, their solubility was kept even after heating at 80°C in a dry state (7.5% moisture content) for 5 days. The surface hydrophobicity of α-lactalbumin was increased during the dry-heating, while that of β-lactoglobulin was decreased. In addition, the fluorescence spectra excited at 280 nm of dry-heated whey proteins suggested the significant conformational changes. High-performance gel chromatography showed that a considerable amount of soluble aggregates was formed in the dry-heated β-lactoglobulin, while a small amount of soluble aggregate was observed in the dry-heated α-lactalbumin. The foaming properties of dry-heated whey proteins were increased to about 3 times that of untreated proteins. The emulsifying properties of dry-heated whey proteins were also increased, compared to untreated proteins, although a slight decrease in the emulsion stability was observed in dry-heated β-lactoglobulin. The improvement of the surface properties seemed to come from the partial unfolding suitable for the formation of foam film and the entrapment of oil droplets.     

Stability of CoQ10-Loaded Oil-in-Water (O/W) Emulsion: Effect of Carrier Oil and Emulsifier Type

Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10), a lipophilic compound that widely used in the food and pharmaceutical products was formulated in a κ-carrageenan coated oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion. In this work, we examined the solubility of CoQ10 in different carrier oils and effects of emulsifier type on the formation and stability of CoQ10-loaded O/W emulsion. Nine vegetable oils and four types of emulsifiers were used. CoQ10 was found significantly (p?<?0.05) more soluble in medium chain oils (coconut oil and palm kernel oil) as compared to other vegetable oils. The O/W emulsions were then prepared with 10 % (w/w) coconut oil and palm kernel oil containing 200 g CoQ10/L oil stabilized by 1 % (w/v) emulsifiers (sucrose laurate (SEL), sodium stearoyl lactate (SSL), polyglycerol ester (PE), or Tween 80 (Tw 80)) in 1 % (w/v) κ-carrageenan aqueous solution. Particle size distribution and physical stability of the emulsions were monitored. The droplet sizes (surface weighted mean diameter, D[3,2]) of fresh O/W emulsion in the range of 2.79 to 5.83 μm were observed. Irrespective of the oil used, results indicated that complexes of SSL/κ-carrageenan provided the most stable CoQ10-loaded O/W emulsion with smaller and narrower particle size distribution. Both macroscopic and microscopic observations showed that O/W emulsion stabilized by SSL/κ-carrageenan is the only emulsion that exhibited no sign of coalescence, flocculation, and phase separation throughout the storage period observed.     

The excised heat-shock domain of alphaB crystallin is a folded, proteolytically susceptible trimer with significant surface hydrophobicity and a tendency to self-aggregate upon heating

The lens protein, alpha-crystallin, is a molecular chaperone that prevents the thermal aggregation of other proteins. The C-terminal domain of this protein (homologous to domains present in small heat-shock proteins) is implicated in chaperone function, although the domain itself has been reported to show no chaperone activity. Here, we show that the domain can be excised out of the intact alphaB polypeptide and recovered directly in pure form through the transfer of CNBr digests of whole lens homogenates into urea-containing buffer, followed by dialysis-based refolding of digests under acidic conditions and a single gel-filtration purification step. The folded (beta sheet) domain thus obtained is found to be (a) predominantly trimeric, and to display (b) significant surface hydrophobicity, (c) a marked tendency to undergo degradation, and (d) a tendency to aggregate upon heating, and on exposure to UV light. Thus, the twin 'chaperone' features of multimericity and surface hydrophobicity are clearly seen to be insufficient for this domain to function as a chaperone. Since alpha-crystallin interacts with its substrates through hydrophobic interactions, the hydrophobicity of the excised domain indicates that separation of domains may regulate function; at the same time, the fact is also highlighted that surface hydrophobicity is a liability in a chaperone since heating strengthens hydrophobic interactions and can potentially promote self-aggregation. Thus, it would appear that the role of the N-terminal domain in alpha-crystallin is to facilitate the creation of a porous, hollow structural framework of >/=24 subunits in which solubility is effected through increase in the ratio of exposed surface area to buried volume. Trimers of interacting C-terminal domains anchored to this superstructure, and positioned within its interior, might allow hydrophobic surfaces to remain accessible to substrates without compromising solubility.     

Encapsulation of Biologically Active Proteins in a Multiple Emulsion

To improve the stability of IgY antibody in oral administration, encapsulation of IgY in a W/O/W emulsion was attempted. A stable W/O/W emulsion containing 1% IgY was prepared by using polyglyceryl condensed ricinolate (PGCR) and dextran-casein conjugate as the primary and secondary emulsifier, respectively. However, the activity of IgY antibody was reduced to less than 20% by encapsulation, suggesting that denaturation/inactivation of IgY had occurred at the oil/water interface. Adsorption of IgY to the inner water droplet surface was observed by electron microscopy. Rabbit IgG, α-amylase, and lysozyme also lost their activity after being encapsulated, although the rate of inactivation was lower than that of IgY. Molecular characterization of these proteins suggested that the rate of inactivation after encapsulation is likely to be dependent on the surface hydrophobicity and molecular stability of each protein.     

Importance of mutant position in Ramachandran plot for predicting protein stability of surface mutations

Understanding the mechanisms by which mutations affect protein stability is one of the most important problems in molecular biology. In this work, we analyzed the relationship between changes in protein stability caused by surface mutations and changes in 49 physicochemical, energetic, and conformational properties of amino acid residues. We found that the hydration entropy was the major contributor to the stability of surface mutations in helical segments; other properties responsible for size and volume of molecule also correlated significantly with stability. Classification of coil mutations based on their locations in the (phi-psi) map improved the correlation significantly, demonstrating the existence of a relationship between stability and strain energy, which indicates that the role of strain energy is very important for the stability of surface mutations. We observed that the inclusion of sequence and structural information raised the correlation, indicating the influence of surrounding residues on the stability of surface mutations. Further, we examined the previously reported "inverse relationship" between stability and hydrophobicity, and observed that the inverse hydrophobic effect was generally applicable only to coil mutations. The present study leads to a simple method for predicting protein stability changes caused by amino acid substitutions, which will be useful for protein engineering in designing novel proteins with increased stability and altered function.     

Sorption of plasma components on the surface of particles of fluorocarbon emulsions stabilized by proxanol 268

It was found in the experiments in vivo and in vitro that the contact of perfluorocarbon emulsion stabilized with proxanol 268 with blood plasma leads to the sorption of various plasma proteins on the surface of emulsion particles. The profile of the proteins sorbed is complex and includes proteins with molecular weights ranging from 14 to 94 kDa. Among proteins sorbed on the emulsion particles circulating in blood, IgG was identified. Incubation of the emulsion stabilized with proxanol 268 with human blood plasma in vitro was shown to result in the sorption of IgG and IgA the perfluorocarbon particles. The sorbtion of serum proteins and immune complexes circulating in blood on the surface of perfluorocarbon particles stabilized with proxanol 268 was revealed to activate the complement system.     

Sorption of plasma proteins by fluorocarbon emulsions stabilized by various surfactants

It has been found in in vivo and in vitro experiments that, as a perfluorocarbon emulsion stabilized by Proxanol 268 comes in contact with blood plasma proteins, plasma proteins with molecular masses from 25 to 170 kDa and above are adsorbed on the surface of emulsion particles. Among the adsorbed proteins, fibronectin and fibrinogen were identified by immunoblotting. In in vivo experiments, during circulation in the blood flow, considerable amounts of plasma proteins are adsorbed on Proxanol-stabilized emulsion particles; the amount of adsorbed proteins increases with the time the particles are in the blood flow. Considerably lesser amounts of proteins are adsorbed during circulation in the blood flow on emulsion particles stabilized by egg yolk phospholipids, and their qualitative composition differs from the composition of proteins adsorbed on Proxanol-stabilized emulsion particles. A preliminary incubation of the Proxanol-stabilized emulsion with heparin decreases the amount of the adsorbed proteins and changes their qualitative composition.     

The interaction of gamma-crystallins with model surfaces.

Three biophysical techniques were employed to study the structure and thermal stability of a series of homologous bovine lens gamma-crystallins upon binding to three model surfaces. The surfaces in order of increasing hydrophobicity were silica, methyl silica, and diphenyl silica. Secondary structure was analyzed by deconvolution Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, while tertiary structure alterations were probed by front surface fluorescence spectroscopy. The effect of surface binding on protein thermal stability was analyzed by fluorescence and differential scanning calorimetry. The comparison of free and surface-bound protein with variations in the electrostatic and hydrophobic character of both the protein and the adsorbent surface with these techniques demonstrated that: (i) destabilization on hydrophobic surfaces is greater than on a more hydrophilic interface, (ii) detectable conformational changes tend to increase as the hydrophobicity of the surface increases, and (iii) subtle structural differences among proteins can play an important role in determining differences in protein stability and structure upon surface adsorption.     

Effect of Tween Emulsifiers on the Shear Stability of Partially Crystalline Oil-in-Water Emulsions Stabilized By Sodium Caseinate

We investigated the effects of Tween emulsifier fatty acid chain length on the shear stability and crystallization behavior of 35 wt% partially crystalline oil-in-water emulsions prepared with and without 1 wt% sodium caseinate. Emulsions containing sodium caseinate and Tween 20, 40, 60 or 80 varied in shear stability, degree of supercooling and crystallization behavior depending on the type and concentration of Tween as well as the presence of protein. Generally, emulsions containing the unsaturated emulsifier Tween 80 were the most shear sensitive followed by the saturated emulsifiers Tween 20, 40 and 60 in order of increasing fatty acid chain length. Long chain saturated Tween emulsifiers (40 and 60) improved shear stability regardless of whether sodium caseinate was present indicating that alone, these emulsifiers form more robust interfacial films compared to the saturated short chain length Tween 20 and Tween 80. In emulsions prepared with sodium caseinate, the degree of supercooling decreased and the crystallization rate diminished with increasing saturated fatty acid chain length but only negligible changes were found without sodium caseinate. Together, these findings indicate that long chain saturated Tween emulsifiers provide better emulsion stability regardless of the presence of sodium caseinate but with sodium caseinate, stability may also be affected by changes to fat crystallization. These novel findings provide guidance on how combinations of proteins and emulsifiers can be used to modify and control the stability of partially crystalline oil-in-water emulsions through their combined effects on the properties of the interfacial film and fat crystallization.     

Biochemical characterization of the small heat shock protein IbpB from Escherichia coli

Escherichia coli IbpB was overexpressed in a strain carrying a deletion in the chromosomal ibp operon and purified by refolding. Under our experimental conditions, IbpB exhibited pronounced size heterogeneity. Basic oligomers, roughly spherical and approximately 15 nm in diameter, interacted to form larger particles in the 100-200-nm range, which themselves associated to yield loose aggregates of micrometer size. IbpB suppressed the thermal aggregation of model proteins in a concentration-dependent manner, and its CD spectrum was consistent with a mostly beta-pleated secondary structure. Incubation at high temperatures led to a partial loss of secondary structure, the progressive exposure of tryptophan residues to the solvent, the dissociation of high molecular mass aggregates into approximately 600-kDa oligomers, and an increase in surface hydrophobicity. Structural changes were reversible between 37 and 55 degrees C, and, up to 55 degrees C, hydrophobic sites were reburied upon cooling. IbpB exhibited a biphasic unfolding trend upon guanidine hydrochloride (GdnHCl) treatment and underwent comparable conformational changes upon melting and during the first GdnHCl-induced transition. However, hydrophobicity decreased with increasing GdnHCl concentrations, suggesting that efficient exposure of structured hydrophobic sites involves denaturant-sensitive structural features. By contrast, IbpB hydrophobicity rose at high NaCl concentrations and increased further at high temperatures. Our results support a model in which temperature-driven conformational changes lead to the reversible exposure of normally shielded binding sites for nonnative proteins and suggest that both hydrophobicity and charge context may determine substrate binding to IbpB.     

蛋白质表面疏水性的研究

用Ｐｈｅｎｙｌ－ＳｕｐｅｒｏｓｅＨＲ５／５疏水柱在ＦＰＬＣ仪上测定了一些蛋白的表面疏水性。在被测量的蛋白样品中,细胞色素Ｃ的亲水性最强,胰凝乳蛋白酶的疏水性最强。说明蛋白质的疏水性与其表面性质密切相关,而与蛋白质的分子量、疏水残基总数并不直接相关;去辅基细胞色素Ｃ和Ｃ端缩短的金黄色葡萄球菌核酸酶与天然态比较疏水性变化很大。疏水柱层析还用于监测在低浓度胍的作用下蛋白质的构象变化。以Ｎ－乙酰酪氨酸为模型化合物探测盐酸胍对疏水柱结合能力的影响,在０４Ｍ胍存在时,Ｎ－乙酰酪氨酸在疏水柱上的结合能力略有减弱,但核糖核酸酶Ａ的变化较大,表明胍引起的蛋白质的微小构象变化有效地引起其表面性质的变化;在０．１—０．３Ｍ盐酸胍存在时,甘油醛－３－磷酸脱氢酶表面疏水性明显增大,并伴随聚合态的出现。说明在低胍作用下,酶分子发生的构象变化,导致天然态内埋疏水面的暴露,暴露的疏水面间的相互作用是形成聚合的主要原因。     

Correlation of electrophoretic mobilities from capillary electrophoresis with physicochemical properties of proteins and peptides

Excellent correlation was observed for the electrophoretic mobilities measured by capillary zone electrophoresis versus q/MW2/3, where q is the calculated charge and MW is the molecular weight. Mobilities of a set of 33 diverse peptides from enzymatic digests and 10 intact proteins were measured for separations at pH 2.35, 8.0, and 8.15 with constant ionic strength, temperature, and viscosity. The correlation suggests that the frictional drag is proportional to the surface area of a sphere that has a volume proportional to the MW. The correlation of electrophoretic mobility with physicochemical properties will facilitate the elucidation of optimum separation strategies for protein and peptide mixtures.     

Emulsifying activities of purified Alasan proteins from Acinetobacter radioresistens KA53

The bioemulsifier of Acinetobacter radioresistens KA53, referred to as alasan, is a high-molecular-weight complex of polysaccharide and protein. The emulsifying activity of the purified polysaccharide (apo-alasan) is very low. Three of the alasan proteins were purified by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and had apparent molecular masses of 16, 31, and 45 kDa. Emulsification assays using the isolated alasan proteins demonstrated that the active components of the alasan complex are the proteins. The 45-kDa protein had the highest specific emulsifying activity, 11% higher than the intact alasan complex. The 16- and 31-kDa proteins gave relatively low emulsifying activities, but they were significantly higher than that of apo-alasan. The addition of the purified 16- and 31-kDa proteins to the 45-kDa protein resulted in a 1.8-fold increase in the specific emulsifying activity and increased stability of the oil-in-water emulsion. Fast-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that the 45-kDa protein forms a dimer in nondenaturing conditions and interacts with the 16- and 31-kDa proteins to form a high-molecular-mass complex. The 45-kDa protein and the three-protein complex had substrate specificities for emulsification and a range of pH activities similar to that of alasan. The fact that the purified proteins are active emulsifiers should simplify structure-function studies and advance our understanding of their biological roles.     

Flow cytometry: a promising technique for the study of silicone oil-induced particulate formation in protein formulations

Subvisible particles in formulations intended for parenteral administration are of concern in the biopharmaceutical industry. However, monitoring and control of subvisible particulates can be complicated by formulation components, such as the silicone oil used for the lubrication of prefilled syringes, and it is difficult to differentiate microdroplets of silicone oil from particles formed by aggregated protein. In this study, we demonstrate the ability of flow cytometry to resolve mixtures comprising subvisible bovine serum albumin (BSA) aggregate particles and silicone oil emulsion droplets with adsorbed BSA. Flow cytometry was also used to investigate the effects of silicone oil emulsions on the stability of BSA, lysozyme, abatacept, and trastuzumab formulations containing surfactant, sodium chloride, or sucrose. To aid in particle characterization, the fluorescence detection capabilities of flow cytometry were exploited by staining silicone oil with BODIPY 493/503 and model proteins with Alexa Fluor 647. Flow cytometric analyses revealed that silicone oil emulsions induced the loss of soluble protein via protein adsorption onto the silicone oil droplet surface. The addition of surfactant prevented protein from adsorbing onto the surface of silicone oil droplets. There was minimal formation of homogeneous protein aggregates due to exposure to silicone oil droplets, although oil droplets with surface-adsorbed trastuzumab exhibited flocculation. The results of this study demonstrate the utility of flow cytometry as an analytical tool for monitoring the effects of subvisible silicone oil droplets on the stability of protein formulations.     

Influence of pH on the solubility and conformational characteristics of muscle proteins from mullet (Mugil cephalus)

Mullet (Mugil cephalus) muscle homogenates were adjusted to different pH ranging from 2 to12 and the proteins extracted were evaluated for changes in solubility and conformational characteristics viz. surface hydrophobicity and reactive sulphydryl groups. Altering the pH of muscle homogenate to acidic or alkaline increased protein solubility. The hydrophobicity of the proteins increased on exposure to extreme pH indicating unfolding. The reactive sulphydryl groups decreased at acidic and alkaline pH with the lowest at pH 4. When the pH of the muscle homogenates was brought back to the original pH (6.3), the protein solubility was found to decrease. Reactive sulphydryl groups and ANS hydrophobicity of the proteins increased on readjusting the pH resulting in a molten-globule state. The electrophortogram of the samples corresponded well with the observations. Alterations in functional properties of these modified proteins are an area of interest for commercial application.     

Emulsifying Activities of Purified Alasan Proteins from Acinetobacter radioresistens KA53

The bioemulsifier of Acinetobacter radioresistens KA53, referred to as alasan, is a high-molecular-weight complex of polysaccharide and protein. The emulsifying activity of the purified polysaccharide (apo-alasan) is very low. Three of the alasan proteins were purified by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and had apparent molecular masses of 16, 31, and 45 kDa. Emulsification assays using the isolated alasan proteins demonstrated that the active components of the alasan complex are the proteins. The 45-kDa protein had the highest specific emulsifying activity, 11% higher than the intact alasan complex. The 16- and 31-kDa proteins gave relatively low emulsifying activities, but they were significantly higher than that of apo-alasan. The addition of the purified 16- and 31-kDa proteins to the 45-kDa protein resulted in a 1.8-fold increase in the specific emulsifying activity and increased stability of the oil-in-water emulsion. Fast-performance liquid chromatography analysis indicated that the 45-kDa protein forms a dimer in nondenaturing conditions and interacts with the 16- and 31-kDa proteins to form a high-molecular-mass complex. The 45-kDa protein and the three-protein complex had substrate specificities for emulsification and a range of pH activities similar to that of alasan. The fact that the purified proteins are active emulsifiers should simplify structure-function studies and advance our understanding of their biological roles.     

Roles of the Domain I Segment in Emulsifying Properties of Bovine Serum Albumin

Emulsifying properties of bovine serum albumin (BSA) were compared between intact BSA (molecular mass of 66 kDa) and the domain I-truncated fragment (molecular mass of 45 kDa). The particle size considerably decreased with increasing both intact BSA and the fragment concentration. The intact BSA formed a more homogeneous emulsion and smaller particle distributions than the fragment at all protein concentrations. The relative amount of protein adsorbed at an oil-water interface was much less for intact BSA than for the fragment, and the surface concentration of intact BSA per unit surface area was also much less than that of the fragment, indicating that less protein is required to form a stable film for intact BSA than for the fragment. The particle size distribution in the fragment-stabilized emulsion became more homogeneous during storage time, while that in intact BSA-stabilized BSA had no significant change. These results strongly suggested that the domain I-truncated fragment with a higher hydrophobic value is more favorable toward the oil phase, while the highly charged domain I segment inhibits the droplet association, and consequently is important in stabilizing droplets dispersed in the emulsion.     

Study of antibody-hapten interaction by measuring velocity of ultrasound propagation

The patterns of conformational changes induced in pig antibodies to 2,4-dinitrophenyllisin on binding with hapten were investigated by precise measurements of ultrasound velocity. It was shown that upon specific binding with intact antibodies, the observed slow changes of the bulk-clustic properties of the investigated solution reflect self-association of IgG molecules. In the case of interaction of Fab-fragments with hapten no changes of the acoustic properties were found. It was assumed that self-association is related to the increase in the hydrophobicity of Fe-fragments observed upon conformational changes of IgG molecules.