A Review of Ginkgo biloba L. Seed’s Protein; Physicochemical Properties, Bioactivity, and Allergic Glycoprotein

How does ultrasound-assisted ionic liquid treatment affect protein? A comprehensive review of their potential mechanisms, safety evaluation, and physicochemical and functional properties

Proteins are essential to human health with enormous food applications. Despite their advantages, plant and animal proteins often exhibit limited molecular flexibility and poor solubility due to hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and ionic interactions within their molecular structures. Thus, there is an urgent need to modify the rigid structure of proteins to enhance their stability and functional properties. Ultrasound-assisted ionic liquid (UA-IL) treatment for developing compound modification and producing proteins with excellent functional properties has received interest. However, no review specifically addresses the interactions between UA-ILs and proteins. Hence, this review focused on recent research advancements concerning the effects and potential reaction mechanisms of UA-ILs on the physicochemical properties (including particle size; primary, secondary, and tertiary structure; and surface morphology) as well as the functionality (such as solubility, emulsifying properties, and foaming ability) of proteins. Moreover, the safety evaluation of modified proteins was also discussed from various perspectives, such as acute and chronic toxicity, genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and environmental and microbial toxicity. This review demonstrated that UA-IL treatment-induced protein structural changes significantly impact the functional characteristics of proteins. This treatment approach efficiently promotes protein structure stretching and spatial rearrangement through cavitation, thermal effects, and ionic interactions. As a result, the functional properties of modified proteins exhibited an obvious enhancement, thereby bringing more opportunities to utilize modified protein products in the food industry. Potential future directions for protein modification using UA-ILs were also proposed.

Preparation and functional characteristics of protein from Ginkgo endophytic Pseudomonas R6 and Ginkgo seed

Ginkgo seed protein (GSP) has excellent processing characteristics and antioxidant properties. In this study, Gingko endophytic protein (GEP) was synthesized by Ginkgo endophytic Pseudomonas R6. SDS-PAGE analysis indicated that the molecular weights of GSP and GEP were mainly distributed at 17 KDa and 48 KDa, respectively. FTIR showed that GEP and GSP exhibited characteristic absorption in the amide I, II, and III bands, and absorption in amide A and B indicated the presence of hydrogen bonding. HPLC analysis showed that both proteins had 17 amino acids, but their relative abundance was different, with GSP having the highest Ser content (74.713 mg/g) and GEP having the highest Val content (35.905 mg/g). Stomata were observed on the surface of both proteins by SEM, and there were lamellar and some spherical structures on GEP, while the opposite was observed on GSP. GEP had superior solubility, OHC, FC and EC, while GSP showed good WHC. Both proteins exhibited antioxidant activities, with GSP exhibiting stronger hydroxyl radical scavenging ability than GEP, with IC50 of 0.46 mg/mL and 1.54 mg/mL, respectively. This work demonstrates the antioxidant potential of GEP as an alternative to GSP in the food industry.

Potentialities of Ginkgo extract on toxicants, toxins, and radiation: a critical review

Exposure to toxins is a severe threat to human health and life in today's developing and industrialized world. Therefore, identifying a protective chemical could be valuable and fascinating in this case. The purpose of this article was to bring together thorough review of studies on Ginkgo biloba to aid in the creation of ways for delivering its phytoconstituents to treat toxicants and radiation. This review gathered and evaluated studies on the defensive impact of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) against toxicities caused by toxic chemical agents (such as lead, cadmium, and aluminum), natural toxins (for example, lipopolysaccharide-induced toxicity and damage, gossypol, latadenes, and lotaustralin), and radiation (for example, gamma, ultra-violet, and radio-frequency radiation). According to this review, GBE has a considerable therapeutic effect by influencing specific pathophysiological targets. Furthermore, GBE has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and antigenotoxicity properties against various toxicities. These are due to flavone glycosides (primarily isorhamnetin, kaempferol, and quercetin) and terpene trilactones (ginkgolides A, B, C, and bilobalide) that aid GBEs' neutralizing effect against radiation and toxins by acting independently or synergistically. This will serve as a reference for the functional food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide.