Peter A. Wierenga

Isolation and characterization of soluble protein from the green microalgae Tetraselmis sp.

Extraction of high-value protein fractions for techno-functional applications in foods can considerably increase the commercial value of microalgae biomass. Proteins from Tetraselmis sp. were extracted and purified after cell disintegration by bead milling, centrifugation, ion exchange chromatography using the absorbent Streamline DEAE, and final decolorization by precipitation at pH 3.5. The algae soluble isolate was free from the intense color typical for algae products and contained 64% (w/w) proteins and 24% (w/w) carbohydrates. The final isolate showed solubility independent of ionic strength and 100% solubility at and above pH 5.5. Since most plant proteins used in foods show poor solubility in the pH range 5.5-6.5, the algae soluble protein isolate could be useful for techno-functional applications in this pH range.

Effects of Ionic Strength on the Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Diluted and Concentrated Whey Protein Isolate

To identify the parameters that affect enzymatic hydrolysis at high substrate concentrations, whey protein isolate (1-30% w/v) was hydrolyzed by Alcalase and Neutrase at constant enzyme-to-substrate ratio. No changes were observed in the solubility and the aggregation state of the proteins. With increasing concentration, both the hydrolysis rate and the final DH decreased, from 0.14 to 0.015 s(-1) and from 24 to 15%, respectively. The presence of 0.5 M NaCl decreased the rate of hydrolysis for low concentrations (to 0.018 s(-1) for 1% WPI), resulting in similar rates of hydrolysis for all substrate concentrations. The conductivity increase (by increasing the protein concentration, or by addition of NaCl) has significant effects on the hydrolysis kinetics, but the reason for this is not yet well understood. The results show the importance of conductivity as a factor that influences the kinetics of the hydrolysis, as well as the composition of the hydrolysates.

Directing the Oligomer Size Distribution of Peroxidase-Mediated Cross-Linked Bovine α-Lactalbumin

Enzymatic protein cross-linking is a powerful tool to change protein functionality. For optimal functionality in gel formation, the size of the cross-linked proteins needs to be controlled, prior to heating. In the current study, we addressed the optimization of the horseradish peroxidase-mediated cross-linking of calcium-depleted bovine alpha-lactalbumin. To characterize the formed products, the molecular weight distribution of the cross-linked protein was determined by size exclusion chromatography. At low ionic strength, more dimers of alpha-lactalbumin are formed than at high ionic strength, while the same conversion of monomers is observed. Similarly, at pH 5.9 more higher oligomers are formed than at pH 6.8. This is proposed to be caused by local changes in apo alpha-lactalbumin conformation as indicated by circular dichroism spectroscopy. A gradual supply of hydrogen peroxide improves the yield of cross-linked products and increases the proportion of higher oligomers. In conclusion, this study shows that the size distribution of peroxidase-mediated cross-linked alpha-lactalbumin can be directed toward the protein oligomers desired.

Protein Concentration and Protein-Exposed Hydrophobicity as Dominant Parameters Determining the Flocculation of Protein-Stabilized Oil-in-Water Emulsions

DLVO theory is often considered to be applicable to the description of flocculation of protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions. To test this, emulsions made with different globular proteins (β-lactoglobulin, ovalbumin, patatin, and two variants of ovalbumin) were compared under different conditions (pH and electrolyte concentration). As expected, flocculation was observed under conditions in which the zeta potential is decreased (around the isoelectric point and at high ionic strength). However, the extent of flocculation at higher ionic strength (>50 mM NaCl) decreased with increasing protein-exposed hydrophobicity. A higher exposed hydrophobicity resulted in a higher zeta potential of the emulsion droplets and consequently increased stability against flocculation. Furthermore, the addition of excess protein strongly increased the stability against salt-induced flocculation, which is not described by DLVO theory. In the protein-poor regime, emulsions showed flocculation at high ionic strength (>100 mM NaCl), whereas emulsions were stable against flocculation if excess protein was present. This research shows that the exposed hydrophobicity of the proteins and the presence of excess protein affect the flocculation behavior.

Towards predicting the stability of protein-stabilized emulsions.

The protein concentration is known to determine the stability against coalescence during formation of emulsions. Recently, it was observed that the protein concentration also influences the stability of formed emulsions against flocculation as a result of changes in the ionic strength. In both cases, the stability was postulated to be the result of a complete (i.e. saturated) coverage of the interface. By combining the current views on emulsion stability against coalescence and flocculation with new experimental data, an empiric model is established to predict emulsion stability based on protein molecular properties such as exposed hydrophobicity and charge. It was shown that besides protein concentration, the adsorbed layer (i.e. maximum adsorbed amount and interfacial area) dominates emulsion stability against coalescence and flocculation. Surprisingly, the emulsion stability was also affected by the adsorption rate. From these observations, it was concluded that a completely covered interface indeed ensures the stability of an emulsion against coalescence and flocculation. The contribution of adsorption rate and adsorbed amount on the stability of emulsions was combined in a surface coverage model. For this model, the adsorbed amount was predicted from the protein radius, surface charge and ionic strength. Moreover, the adsorption rate, which depends on the protein charge and exposed hydrophobicity, was approximated by the relative exposed hydrophobicity (QH). The model in the current state already showed good correspondence with the experimental data, and was furthermore shown to be applicable to describe data obtained from literature.

Quantitative description of the parameters affecting the adsorption behaviour of globular proteins

The adsorption behaviour of proteins depends significantly on their molecular properties and system conditions. To study this relation, the effect of relative exposed hydrophobicity, protein concentration and ionic strength on the adsorption rate and adsorbed amount is studied using β-lactoglobulin, ovalbumin and lysozyme. The curves of surface elastic modulus versus surface pressure of all three proteins, under different conditions (i.e. concentration and ionic strength) superimposed. This showed that the interactions between the adsorbed proteins are similar and that the adsorbed proteins retain their native state. In addition, the adsorption rate (kadsorb) was shown to scale with the relative hydrophobicity and ionic strength. Moreover, the adsorbed amount was shown to be dependent on the protein charge and the ionic strength. Based on these results, a model is proposed to predict the maximum adsorbed amount (Γmax). The model approximates the adsorbed amount as a close-packed monolayer using a hard-sphere approximation with an effective protein radius which depends on the electrostatic repulsion. The theoretical adsorbed amount was in agreement with experimental Γmax (±10%).

The Maillard reaction and pet food processing: effects on nutritive value and pet health

The Maillard reaction, which can occur during heat processing of pet foods or ingredients, is known to reduce the bioavailability of essential amino acids such as lysine due to the formation of early and advanced Maillard reaction products (MRP) that are unavailable for utilisation by the body. Determination of the difference between total and reactive lysine by chemical methods provides an indication of the amount of early MRP present in foods, feeds and ingredients. Previous research reported that the difference between total and reactive lysine in pet foods can be up to 61.8%, and foods for growing dogs may be at risk of supplying less lysine than the animal may require. The endogenous analogues of advanced MRP, advanced glycation endproducts, have been associated with age-related diseases in humans, such as diabetes and impaired renal function. It is unknown to what extent advanced MRP are present in pet foods, and if dietary MRP can be associated with the development of diseases such as diabetes and impaired renal function in pet animals. Avoidance of ingredients with high levels of MRP and processing conditions known to favour the Maillard reaction may be useful strategies to prevent the formation of MRP in manufactured pet food. Future work should further focus on understanding the effects of ingredient choice and processing conditions on the formation of early and advanced MRP, and possible effects on animal health.

Characteristics and Effects of Specific Peptides on Heat-Induced Aggregation of β-Lactoglobulin

A bovine β-lactoglobulin hydrolysate, obtained by the hydrolysis by the Glu specific enzyme Bacillus licheniformis protease (BLP), was fractionated at pH 7.0 into a soluble and an insoluble fraction and characterized by LC-MS. From the 26 peptides identified in the soluble fraction, five peptides (A[f97-112] = [f115-128], AB[f1-45], AB[f135-157], AB[f135-158], and AB[f138-162]) bound to β-lactoglobulin at room temperature. After heating of β-lactoglobulin in the presence of peptides, eight peptides were identified in the pellet formed, three of them belonging to the previously mentioned peptides. Principle component analysis revealed that the binding at room temperature (to β-lactoglobulin) was related to the total hydrophobicity and the total charge of the peptides. The binding to the unfolded protein could not be attributed to distinct properties of the peptides. The presence of the peptides caused a 50% decrease in denaturation enthalpy (from 148 ± 3 kJ/mol for the protein alone to 74 ± 2 kJ/mol in the presence of peptides), while no change in secondary structure or denaturation temperature was observed. At temperatures <85 °C, the addition of peptides resulted in a 30-40% increase of precipitated β-lactoglobulin. At pH < 6, no differences in the amount of aggregated β-lactoglobulin were observed, which indicates the lack of binding of peptides to β-lactoglobulin at those pH values as was also observed by SELDI-TOF-MS. Although only a few peptides were found to participate in aggregation, suggesting specificity, principal component analysis was unable to identify specific properties responsible for this.

Surface activity and molecular characteristics of cuttlefish skin gelatin modified by oxidized linoleic acid

Surface activity and molecular changes of cuttlefish skin gelatin modified with oxidized linoleic acid (OLA) prepared at 60, 70 and 80 °C at different times were investigated. Modification of gelatin with OLA could improve surface activity of resulting gelatin as evidenced by the decreased surface tension and the increased foaming and emulsifying properties. Interaction between OLA and gelatin led to the generation of carbonyl groups, loss of free amino content and the increase in particle size of resulting gelatin. Emulsion stabilized by modified gelatin had the smaller mean particle diameter with higher stability, compared with that stabilized by gelatin without modification.

Comparison of Heat-Induced Aggregation of Globular Proteins

Typically, heat-induced aggregation of proteins is studied using a single protein under various conditions (e.g., temperature). Because different studies use different conditions and methods, a mechanistic relationship between molecular properties and the aggregation behavior of proteins has not been identified. Therefore, this study investigates the kinetics of heat-induced aggregation and the size/density of formed aggregates for three different proteins (ovalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, and patatin) under various conditions (pH, ionic strength, concentration, and temperature). The aggregation rate of β-lactoglobulin was slower (>10 times) than that of ovalbumin and patatin. Moreover, the conditions (pH, ionic strength, and concentration) affected the aggregation kinetics of β-lactoglobulin more strongly than for ovalbumin and patatin. In contrast to the kinetics, for all proteins the aggregate size/density increased with decreasing electrostatic repulsion. By comparing these proteins under these conditions, it became clear that the aggregation behavior cannot easily be correlated to the molecular properties (e.g., charge and exposed hydrophobicity).