Protein Selectivity Controlled by Polymer Charge Density and Protein Yield: Carboxylated Polysaccharides versus Sulfated Polysaccharides

Physicochemical, structural and metabolic products of yogurt as affected by Coriolus versicolor fermented sweet potato pulp water

Sweet potato pulp water (SPPW) is a kind of sweet potato starch processing by-product with rich nutrition but low utilization. The impacts of different proportions of Coriolus versicolor (C. versicolor, CV) fermented sweet potato pulp water (CV-SPPW) on the physicochemical, structural and metabolic properties of yogurt were investigated. Compared with 0% group, the hardness index, elasticity index and cohesion of the 10% sample group increased by 1.9-fold, 55.7% and 1.39-fold, respectively. When CV-SPPW was added at an amount of 10%, the microstructure and sensory scores of yogurts were considered as the optimal. Metabolic pathway analysis indicated that the changes of yogurts were mainly involved in sugar metabolism and amino acid metabolism, and that the carbohydrate metabolites produced mainly included cellobiose, maltitol, d-trehalose and d-maltose. The CV-SPPW improved the structural characteristics of yogurts to varying degrees and the fermented yogurts exhibited better viscosity properties.

Progress and prospects of polysaccharide-based nanocarriers for oral delivery of proteins/peptides

The oral route has long been recognized as the most preferred route for drug delivery as it offers high patient compliance and requires minimal expertise. Unlike small molecule drugs, the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract and low permeability across the intestinal epithelium make oral delivery extremely ineffective for macromolecules. Accordingly, delivery systems that are rationally constructed with suitable materials to overcome barriers to oral delivery are exceptionally promising. Among the most ideal materials are polysaccharides. Depending on the interaction between polysaccharides and proteins, the thermodynamic loading and release of proteins in the aqueous phase can be realized. Specific polysaccharides (dextran, chitosan, alginate, cellulose, etc.) endow systems with functional properties, including muco-adhesiveness, pH-responsiveness, and prevention of enzymatic degradation. Furthermore, multiple groups in polysaccharides can be modified, which gives them a variety of properties and enables them to suit specific needs. This review provides an overview of different types of polysaccharide-based nanocarriers based on different kinds of interaction forces and the influencing factors in the construction of polysaccharide-based nanocarriers. Strategies of polysaccharide-based nanocarriers to improve the bioavailability of orally administered proteins/peptides were described. Additionally, current restrictions and future trends of polysaccharide-based nanocarriers for oral delivery of proteins/peptides were also covered.

Characterization of coacervation behavior between whey protein isolate and gum Arabic: Effects of heat treatment

Currently, the effect of heat treatment on the complex coacervation behavior of whey isolate protein (WPI) with gum arabic (GA) is undiscussed. In this work, the complex coacervation behavior of WPI with or without heat treatment and GA in different environments was investigated. The results showed that coacervates were formed at a mass ratio of 2:1 and a pH of 3.5, which was confirmed by the fluorescence spectroscopy results. Heat treatment increased the surface charge of WPI, reduced the saturated adsorption concentration of GA, and enhanced the sensitivity of the complex coacervation reaction to salt ions. Fourier infrared spectroscopy, intermolecular force analysis and molecular docking results confirm that the formation of coacervates is the result of electrostatic interactions. From the scanning electron microscope and differential scanning calorimetry results, it is clear that the whey isolate protein combined with gum arabic forms a gel-like conjugate with higher thermal stability and a dense structure. This study provides more in-depth theoretical guidance for the application of WPI and GA based coacervation and more advanced theoretical data for the study of hWPI.

Selective Complex Coacervation of Pea Whey Proteins with Chitosan To Purify Main 2S Albumins

Proteins of pea whey were separated by 1-D electrophoresis and 2-D electrophoresis and identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS. In addition to lectin, pea albumin 2 (PA2) and pea albumin 1a (PA1a) were identified as the main 2S albumins. The complex behavior of pea whey proteins with chitosan as a function of pH and protein to polysaccharide ratio was studied by turbidimetric titration, zeta potential, and Tricine-SDS-PAGE. During pH titration, the zeta potential reveals that at maximum turbidity (pHmax), charge neutrality was fulfilled. The maximal protein recovery was obtained at a mass ratio of 1:1. After coacervation with chitosan, lectin was not involved in the formation of complexes and PA2 transferred into complex preferentially as compared to PA1a. The weak binding affinity and high hydrophilicity of PA1a made it selectively dissolve out from the PA2/PA1a complex at acidic pH conditions. After removal of chitosan and small molar weight peptides, high-purity PA2 and PA1a (>90% by SEC-HPLC) could be obtained. This work provides a novel strategy for the purification of proteins from a multiprotein pea whey system.

Molecular characterization of the effects of Ganoderma Lucidum polysaccharides on the structure and activity of bovine serum albumin

The investigation about polysaccharides-protein system is attributed to numerous very important applications for pharmaceutical, food, chemical and other industries. In the present work, multi-spectral methods and molecular docking were used to analyze the molecular interactions of polysaccharides from Ganoderma Lucidum (GLP) with bovine serum albumin (BSA). The nonenzymatic glucosylation, fibrillation, thermal stability, and structure information of GLP-BSA system were also studied. The results showed that the formation of GLP-BSA complex by mainly hydrogen-bonding forces resulted in the conformational changes of protein. GLP acted as a stabilizer to increase the thermal stability of BSA solution having a novel and more stable conformational state during the thermal denaturation process. 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) fluorescence spectral results suggested that there exist some intermediate state which has low binding ability with ANS in the presence of GLP. The presence of GLP caused a decrease in the formation of beta sheet structures with a lower rate. The fluorescence spectra of BSA glycosylated by GLP confirmed the formation of covalent bonds between BSA and GLP through the Maillard reaction which was also confirmed by using thermogravimetric (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. In addition, BSA still maintains the esterase-like good activity in the presence of GLP. These results provide a basis for screening the molecular interactions of polysaccharides with protein from the perspective of important food active ingredients.

Effects of water absorption of soybean seed on the quality of soymilk and the release of flavor compounds

The water absorption of soybeans during soaking is directly related to the quality characteristics and the flavor properties of soybeans for processing. In this paper, the effects of water absorption of soybean seed on the quality of soymilk and the release of flavor compounds were investigated during soaking at 4 °C, 25 °C, and 50 °C at different pH values. The results showed that the water absorption rate increased as the soaking temperature and pH increased, while the equilibrium value was relatively stable. Peleg's equation with good fitting of the absorption kinetics was used to predict the hydration characteristics of undehulled soybean. MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS results showed that the major released proteins are basic 7S globulin, which is released in large amounts at high temperature. The water absorption of soybean seed significantly enhanced the extraction yields of protein, fat and solids of the prepared soymilk, and alkaline soaking pH further promoted the extraction of proteins and solids. A high soaking temperature can significantly decrease the required soaking time; however, it is unfavorable to the extraction yields of fat, proteins and solids, as well as the whiteness values and the particle sizes. The beany odor compounds of soymilk mainly consisted of hexanal, trans-2-hexenal, 1-octene-3-ol, hexanol, and 2-pentylfuran, and their contents were positively correlated with soaking temperature. A good balance of soymilk quality and flavor compound release can be achieved with soaking conditions of 25 °C and pH 9.

The water absorption of soybeans during soaking is directly related to the quality characteristics and the flavor properties of soybeans for processing.

Protein Separation Coacervation with Carboxymethyl Cellulose of Different Substitution Degree: Noninteracting Behavior of Bowman-Birk Chymotrypsin Inhibitor

We first observed that protein/polysaccharide interaction exhibited noninteracting behavior which makes Bowman-Birk chymotrypsin inhibitor (BBI) always free of complexation, being separated from another protein with similar isoelectric points, Kunitz trypsin inhibitor (KTI). Turbidity titrations showed that the electrostatic attractions were much stronger between KTI/BBI (KBi) and carboxymethyl cellulose of higher substitution degree. Unchanged chymotrypsin inhibitory activity (CIA) indicated that BBI had negligible contribution to protein recovery and trypsin inhibitory activity (TIA). Tricine-SDS-PAGE revealed that, at r = 20:1-2:1, unbound BBI was left in the supernatant when bound KTI transferred into precipitates, even if there was excess negative charge. Thus, purified KTI or BBI was achieved easily at the given conditions. The noninteracting behavior of BBI was further confirmed by ITC, where the binding enthalpy of BBI to CMC was negligible compared with the high binding affinity ( K_b) of KTI. This work will be beneficial to protein purification based on protein-polysaccharide coacervation.