Chemical modification of proteins. Part 12. Effect of succinylation on some physico-chemical and functional properties of the albumin fraction from rapeseed (Brassica napus L.)

Improving the in vitro digestibility of rapeseed albumins resistant to gastrointestinal proteolysis while preserving the functional properties using enzymatic hydrolysis

Study of in vitro digestibility of high-quality isolate of rapeseed albumins (RA) was carried out in this work, using Size-Exclusion Chromatography. A poor in vitro digestibility of the RA isolate was highlighted (15%). The aim of this study was therefore to improve the RA in vitro digestibility by enzymatic hydrolysis while preserving its attractive functional properties. Alcalase, Flavourzyme and Prolyve were used to obtain 12 hydrolysates with various degrees of hydrolysis (DH) and compositions. All hydrolysates showed improved digestibility and those with the highest DH showed the best improvements. Techno-functional properties of these hydrolysates were also characterized. The poor emulsion capacity of initial RA was improved and results showed that extent proteolysis can be a good way to improve both digestibility and functional properties. Moreover, optimal conditions for RA proteolysis were identified to produce with Flavourzyme a partial hydrolysate (still containing 50% intact RA) that is both digestible and functional.

Behaviors of bovine serum albumin and rapeseed proteins at the air/water interface after grafting aliphatic or aromatic chains

The influence of grafting aliphatic or aromatic groups on the behaviors of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and rapeseed proteins (napin and cruciferin) at the air/water interface is studied. From compression isotherms, it is shown that the chemical modification induces an increase in the interfacial molecular areas of the three proteins. The more hydrophobic the groups grafted, the more important this increase is. The dilatational modulus clearly emphasized that the grafting of hydrophobic groups also leads to an increase of the collapse pressure, demonstrating a higher cohesiveness and resistance to pressure of the interfacial films. These results are discussed on the basis of the physicochemical changes due to these chemical modifications, especially the conformation, the surface hydrophobicity, and the flexibility of the modified proteins. The improvement of surface properties obtained by grafting aliphatic or aromatic chains onto these proteins looks very promising in regard to emulsifying and foaming properties.

Behaviour of a protein isolate from rapeseed (Brassica napus) and its main protein components — globulin and albumin — at air/solution and solid interfaces, and in emulsions

The behaviour of a rapeseed protein isolate (RI) and its main protein components - globulin (RG) and albumin (RA) - in adsorbed and spread monolayers, as well as in emulsions was investigated. Tensiometry, film-pressure area and Langmuir-Blodgett-techniques, and emulsion parameters were used to characterise the behaviour of the rapeseed proteins at various interfaces. The adsorption isotherms for albumin showed a plateau value for the surface pressure (Pi(e)) of 11.6 mN/m at the low critical association concentration (CAC) of 5.6x10(-8) g/ml. Both values were found to be distinctly higher for the globulin and the protein isolate. The isotherms of a mixture of RG and RA, which corresponds to the composition of RI, seems to be a superimposition of the isotherms of RA and RG. Contact angle measurements showed that all samples used were able to form LB-layers and to make hydrophilic glass surfaces more hydrophobic and vice versa. The changes in contact angle were more pronounced on hydrophobic glass surfaces. Monolayer and emulsion characteristics are dominated by the interfacial properties of albumin. The maximum film pressure reached by globulin was only about 8 mN/m. The globulin also possesses the lowest emulsifying activity. From the mean molecular area calculated for spread globulin, it is concluded that the globulin maintains its globular conformation at surfaces, which explains the low surface activity. Albumin and the protein isolate were highly surface active in monolayers and emulsion formation. The slightly different interfacial behaviour of the protein isolate compared with the corresponding mixture is probably due to additional effects of non-protein components and a partially denatured state of the protein.

Conformational changes upon dissociation of a globular protein from pea: a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy study

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy shows that the secondary structure of legumin, a globular protein from pea seeds, is composed of 41% beta-sheets and 16% alpha-helices and furthermore reveals the presence of beta-turns. The conformation prediction from the analysis of the amino-acid sequence of legumin using hydrophobic cluster analysis reveals that the C-terminal part of the alpha-polypeptide is devoid of defined secondary structures, whereas the beta-polypeptide is highly ordered. Comparison with analogous 11S globulins from other plant families indicates that ordered domains are highly preserved, phenomenon that may be associated with the similarity of the quaternary structure of these proteins. The results also reveal the presence of a large hypervariable region, located at the surface of the protein, that could be at the origin of the different functional properties of the 11S type globulins. The step-by-step destruction of the quaternary oligomeric structure of the native protein is accompanied by conformational changes that depend on the dissociation conditions. Whereas acylation leads to a decrease of the alpha-helix content by 10% at the expense of the beta-sheet content, addition of sodium perchlorate results in the conversion of 10% of the protein secondary structure from beta-sheet to unordered. These observations provide further evidence of the existence of different monomeric states that differ from their secondary structure and, therefore, exhibit different surface-active properties.

Structural studies on native and chemically modified storage proteins from rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) and related plant proteins

Recent data on the structure and chemical modification of the two main storage proteins of rapeseed, the high-molecular mass 12 S globulin and the low-molecular mass 2 S protein (napin) are summarized and compared with those of related seed proteins. The 12 S globulin is built up of six subunits forming a quaternary structure which can be approximated by the model of a trigonal antiprism. The subunits, composed of a larger and a smaller polypeptide chain each, have a two-domain structure which is typical for all related plant proteins. These are characterized by a sedimentation coefficient of 11-13 S, a molecular mass of 300,000-360,000 g/mol and a high percentage of beta-sheet conformation. Increasing succinylation results in a step-by-step dissociation up to the subunits and to an unfolding of the latter at a critical level of modification amounting to 60-70%. These structural changes affect the functional properties remarkably. The napin fraction comprises a group of closely related and highly basic proteins with molecular masses of 12,000-14,000 g/mol, a high content of sulphur-containing amino acids and rich in helical conformation. They are built up of a larger and a smaller disulphide bridged polypeptide chain. Acylation does not abolish the secondary or tertiary structure which are stabilized by inter- and intrachain disulphide bonds. Acylation results, however, in a stabilization of the protein against heat-induced aggregation.