Susceptibility of wheat gluten to enzymatic hydrolysis following deamidation with acetic acid and sensory characteristics of the resultant hydrolysates

Enhancing the solubility and emulsion properties of rice protein by deamidation of citric acid-based natural deep eutectic solvents

The characteristics of rice protein deamidated (DRP) by choline chloride-citric acid and glucose-citric acid natural deep eutectic solvents (C-C NADES, G-C NADES) at different dilutions were investigated. Compared with the effect of citric acid deamidation on the structural and functional properties of the protein, the DRP from the NADESs led to remarkable differences in the degree of hydrolysis (DH), SDS-PAGE, morphology, surface hydrophobicity, average particle size, intrinsic fluorescence, amino acid compositions, and emulsion activity. The results of SDS-PAGE, DH, and SEM showed the NADESs reduced the occurrence of uncontrolled hydrolysis of protein during acid deamidation. DRP from C-C and G-C NADESs was found to significantly improve solubility. DRP prepared by C-C NADES showed a more than 40 % solubility over a wide pH range associated with its higher emulsifying activity (37.62-44.19 m2/g) and emulsifying stability (73.76-86.9 min), as well as a better deamidation effect while lower DH. Thus, these findings showed that acid-based NADESs had great potential as a deamidation solvent to expand the application of protein.

Review on the release mechanism and debittering technology of bitter peptides from protein hydrolysates

Recent scientific evidence indicates that protein hydrolysates contain bioactive peptides that have potential benefits for human health. However, the bitter-tasting hydrophobic peptides in protein hydrolysates negatively affect the sensory quality of resulting products and limit their utilization in food and pharmaceutical industries. The approaches to reduce, mask, and remove bitter taste from protein hydrolysates have been extensively reported. This review paper focuses on the advances in the knowledge regarding the structure-bitterness relationship of peptides, the release mechanism of bitter peptides, and the debittering methods for protein hydrolysates. Bitter tastes generating with enzymatic hydrolysis of protein is influenced by the type, concentration, and bitter taste threshold of bitterness peptides. A "bell-shaped curve" is used to describe the relationship between the bitterness intensity of the hydrolysates and the degree of hydrolysis. The bitter receptor perceives bitter potencies of bitter peptides by the hydrophobicity recognition zone. The intensity of bitterness is influenced by hydrophobic and electronic properties of amino acids and the critical spatial structure of peptides. Compared to physicochemical debittering (i.e., selective separation, masking of bitter taste, encapsulation, Maillard reaction, and encapsulation) and other biological debittering (i.e., enzymatic hydrolysis, enzymatic deamidation, plastein reaction), enzymatic hydrolysis is a promising debittering approach as it combines protein hydrolyzation and debittering into a one-step process, but more work should be done to advance the knowledge on debittering mechanism of enzymatic hydrolysis and screening of suitable proteases. Further study can focus on combining physicochemical and biological approaches to achieve high debittering efficiency and produce high-quality products.

Effect of lactylation on functional and structural properties of gluten

Gluten is widely used as a high-quality protein material in the food industry, however, low solubility restricts its development and applications. In this study, gluten was treated with lactate and sodium lactate for lactylation. Lactylation of gluten altered surface charges of the protein, leading to a significant improvement in the solubility. An improvement in oil absorption capacity (OAC) could be attributed to a decrease in protein folding degree after lactylation. In addition, the emulsifying properties of gluten were significantly enhanced. The introduction of lactate group also significantly increased the viscoelasticity of gluten. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) showed there was a significant decrease in β-turns content and a significant increase in β-sheets content. The folded conformation of gluten was gradually extended after lactation by fluorescence spectroscopy measurement. Both in lactate and sodium lactate treatment, the maximum emission wavelength indicated a blue shift, and the UV intensity showed an increase. These results could demonstrate that lactylation could extend the structure and improve the functional property.

Chemical modifications and their effects on gluten protein: An extensive review

Gluten protein as one of the plant resources is susceptible to genetic, physical, chemical, enzymatic and engineering modifications. Chemical modifications have myriad advantages over other treatments, including short reaction times, low cost, no requirement for specialized equipment, and highly clear modification effects. Therefore, chemical modification of gluten can be mainly conducted via acylation, glycosylation, phosphorylation, and deamidation. The present review investigated the impact of different chemical compounds on conformations of gluten and its subunits. Moreover, their effects on the physico-chemical, morphological, and rheological properties of gluten and their subunits were studied. This allows for the use of gluten for a variety of purposes in the food and non-food industry.

Comparative Characterization of Gluten and Hydrolyzed Wheat Proteins

Hydrolyzed wheat proteins (HWPs) are widely used as functional ingredients in foods and cosmetics, because of their emulsifying and foaming properties. However, in individuals suffering from celiac disease or wheat allergy, HWPs may have a modified immunoreactivity compared to native gluten due to changes in molecular structures. Although a variety of HWPs are commercially available, there are no in-depth comparative studies that characterize the relative molecular mass (M_r) distribution, solubility, and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of HWPs compared to native gluten. Therefore, we aimed to fill this gap by studying the above characteristics of different commercial HWP and gluten samples. Up to 100% of the peptides/proteins in the HWP were soluble in aqueous solution, compared to about 3% in native gluten. Analysis of the M_r distribution indicated that HWPs contained high percentages of low-molecular-weight peptides/proteins and also deamidated glutamine residues. We also found considerable differences between the seven HWPs studied, so that each HWP needs to be studied in detail to help explain its potential immunoreactivity.

Enzymatic susceptibility of wheat gluten after subcritical water treatment

Subcritical water (SCW) hydrolysis is an alternative to traditional methods of protein hydrolysis that uses water as a reaction medium. In this study, the effect of SCW treatment on heat-induced conformational changes in wheat gluten and its relation to enzymatic susceptibility were investigated. The degree of deamidation increased rapidly from 12.5 to 47.4% with increase in the temperature range of 160-220 °C. Protein solubility increased in a similar pattern with degree of deamidation and almost all protein was solubilized after treatment with SCW at 200 °C. SCW treatment in a particular time-temperature combination results in a significant decrease in enzymatic susceptibility. After SCW treatment at 220 °C for 20 min, enzymatic susceptibility of gluten protein was exceedingly decreased to nearly complete loss. Because of excess degradation and deamidation and small molecular size (less than 6500 Da) many hydrolysis sites disappear and are difficult to access by protease.

Transglutaminase-set colloidal properties of wheat gluten with ultrasound pretreatments

The low solubility of wheat gluten limits its accessibility. This work aimed to study the impact of ultrasonic pretreatments on the gelation of wheat gluten. The pretreatments included ultrasound combined with alkali, urea, Na₂SO₃, with or without the addition of transglutaminase (TGase). The gel strength of wheat gluten was 287g/cm² after treatment with Na₂SO₃/ultrasound/TGase. The free sulfhydryl and disulfide bond content was significantly affected by ultrasound treatment. After treatments including TGase crosslinking, the molecular weight of wheat gluten complexes became larger. The network formed by the wheat gluten was transformed into a dense and homogenous structure after the pretreatment with Na₂SO₃/ultrasound/TGase. The content of random coil of wheat gluten increased. The gelation of wheat gluten could also be significantly enhanced by Na₂SO₃/ultrasound treatment followed by TGase treatment. Using physical and chemical pretreatments to allow TGase to enhance the gelation of wheat gluten may increase its uses as a food additive.

Effect of deamidation-induced modification on umami and bitter taste of wheat gluten hydrolysates

BACKGROUND

Bitter taste is the main limiting factor for various applications of protein hydrolysates. Frequently used physicochemical methods for debittering protein hydrolysates come with some undesired side effects. Deamidation-induced modification would be a very promising technique to improve the flavor of wheat gluten hydrolysates (WGHs). This study was designed to determine the effect of deamidation with certain enzymes or acid treatment on the chemical composition, bitterness and umami properties of WGHs. The difference between umami peptide and free glutamic acid on the suppression of bitterness is emphatically discussed. The optimal scheme is proposed based on the flavor of WGHs and the yield of peptides.

RESULTS

The generation of umami substances suppressed bitter signal transduction. When the content of umami substances was relatively high, the umami-enhancing properties of umami peptides were obviously effective. The intensity of umami taste was high enough to further suppress bitter taste in the course of neurocognitive functioning.

CONCLUSION

When WGHs were treated with Glutaminase for 180 min, the umami taste score increased from 1.62 to 4.27 and the bitter taste score decreased from 1.33 to 0.65. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Influences of mesoporous magnesium silicate on the hydrophilicity, degradability, mineralization and primary cell response to a wheat protein based biocomposite

With the addition of bioactive m-MS,WP40 composite possessed excellent bioactivity and cytocompatibility.

Effect of sequential hydrolysis with endo- and exo-peptidase on bitterness properties of wheat gluten hydrolysates

After the bitterness of wheat gluten hydrolysates using single-enzyme treatment was assessed by taste dilution analysis, schemes of sequential hydrolysis with endo- and exo- peptidases were designed to prepare low-bitterness small-peptide powders.

Changes in the enzyme-induced release of bitter peptides from wheat gluten hydrolysates

Extraction of wheat gluten hydrolysates prepared using Proteax with isobutyl alcohol has opened a new avenue for exploring the release characteristics of bitter peptides.

Effect of the structural features of hydrochloric acid-deamidated wheat gluten on its susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis

The effect of the structural features of hydrochloric acid-deamidated wheat gluten with different degrees of deamidation (DDs) on the susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis by pancreatin was investigated. The wheat gluten deamidated by hydrochloric acid with a DD of 55% revealed the highest susceptibility to enzymatic hydrolysis as evaluated by the hydrolysis degree and nitrogen solubility index of the hydrolysates. An increase of peptides with MW below 3000 Da was observed as the DD increased. Raman spectra in the 1740-1800 cm⁻¹ and 521-530 cm⁻¹ range suggested that wheat gluten had taken off the deamidation with different DDs and that the disulfide bond had disrupted the sulfhydryl groups with different intensities, respectively. Results from the deconvolution of the amide I region of FTIR spectra in the 1600-1700 cm⁻¹ range showed that the content of the α-helix decreased and that the content of the β-turn and β-sheet increased with increasing DDs, which improved the molecular structure and flexibility of wheat gluten. A scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the image of HDG-55% presented the smoothest surface and the least uniform pore, enabling the sample to be more susceptible to enzymatic hydrolysis. The above information will enable us to better understand the effect of structure on the susceptibility of deamidated wheat gluten.

Investigation of the susceptibility of acid-deamidated wheat gluten to in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis using Raman spectra and free amino acid analysis

BACKGROUND

The number and surface nature of amino acids (AAs) in substrate proteins available to hydrolytic enzymes are critical. Among them, the micro-environmental properties of specific AAs in substrates before hydrolysis would probably dominate the susceptibility of substrates to enzymatic hydrolysis. Fundamental knowledge concerning this regard is lacking. The objective of this work was to investigate the relationship between the exposure level of AAs in acid-deamidated wheat gluten and their susceptibilities to in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis by pancreatin through both high-performance liquid chromatography and Raman spectra. Wheat gluten deamidated with HCl (HDWG), citric acid (CDWG), succinic acid (SDWG) and acetic acid (ADWG) at the same degree of deamidation under the same heat treatment were chosen as the substrates. Substrate characterisations including degree of hydrolysis, surface hydrophobicity and structural characteristics before hydrolysis, together with analysis of free AAs of the corresponding hydrolysates during hydrolysis, were investigated.

RESULTS

Hydrolysates from SDWG had the highest value for the degree of hydrolysis. The susceptibility of CDWG to pancreatin hydrolysis was the lowest, lower than native wheat gluten (CK) after the initial 36 h. Compared with free AAs, the mole increase profiles of CK, Arg production levelled off in HDWG after 12 h whereas it was inhibited in ADWG. For SDWG, Arg release was dramatically inhibited after 12 h and was replaced by Trp. Investigations using Raman spectra of the micro-environment of Cys, Trp, Tyr and His and the mole increase trend of them indicated that the exposure level of these amino acids in substrates was positively related to their susceptibilities to pancreatin hydrolysis especially after 24 h of hydrolysis.

CONCLUSION

Deamidation by four acids has a distinct influence on the structural characteristics of wheat gluten substrates. Although the substrates were selected at the same level of deamidation by the same heat treatment, their resultant conformational differences significantly influenced the exposure level of amino acids for binding to enzymes and the susceptibility of substrates to in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis. Therefore, it had an influence on changing enzyme cutting sites of pancreatin. This information will provide a better understanding of specific behaviour of AAs in wheat gluten during enzymatic hydrolysis from a new perspective.