Seed Protein Research Articles

Investigating the possibility of increasing the microbial and oxidative stability of silver carp burgers using hydrolyzed protein of watermelon seeds.

Investigating the possibility of increasing the microbial and oxidative stability of silver carp burgers using hydrolyzed protein of watermelon seeds.

Impact of Flax Seed Protein and Beeswax Emulsion Blend on Leather Finishing– A Novel Eco-Benign Formulation

Protein based finishing on leather surface is generally done using casein-based formulation which forms a transparent and breathable film. Other naturally available options such as protein extracted from flax seeds exhibit versatile application in various fields. Thus in this work, the flax seed protein which is found to be 84%, along with bees wax emulsion is explored for the first time as an Eco benign binder and as an alternative for casein based finish. The binders play very important role in leather finishing as it helps in binding the various constituents of finishing such as pigments, wax, and additives to the leather matrix. The prepared Eco benign binder formed a continuous film on the surface of the leather and improved the of physical properties and crack resistance of the leather. The FTIR and particle size analysis were carried out for the characterization of the Eco benign binder. The experimental leathers were tested for tensile strength, elongation at break, lastometer test, colour fastness and cold crack tests. The results of the said tests were satisfied and on par with control leathers.

Free Radical Scavenging-Related Antioxidant Properties and Inhibitory Activities of Telfairia occidentalis Seed Protein Hydrolysates and Peptide Fractions Against Two key Enzymes Implicated in Diabetes Mellitus

Free Radical Scavenging-Related Antioxidant Properties and Inhibitory Activities of Telfairia occidentalis Seed Protein Hydrolysates and Peptide Fractions Against Two key Enzymes Implicated in Diabetes Mellitus

Transgressive Segregation for Seed Protein in an Inter-specific Cajanus Cross

Three inter-specific Cajanus crosses were assessed for their intra-population variation for protein content. In the unselected F7 bulk population of a cross involving a wild species (Cajanus scarabaeoides) and an early maturing cultivar, “Baigani,” the transgressive segregation for both high as well as low protein contents was observed. The high protein (35.6%) transgressive segregant produced 24% more protein than the wild species donor parent (28.7%). Similarly, the low-protein (18.8%) transgressive segregant had 17% less protein than the low-protein parent (22.7%). It is concluded that the parents of this cross carried different sets of dominant and recessive protein-controlling alleles; their complementary and/or additive gene effects produced these transgressive segregants.

Improving the functionality and biological properties of Iranian date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L) seeds protein with different proteases

In this study, date seeds as a major agricultural by-product were utilized for production of antioxidant peptides with techno-functional properties. Date seeds protein (DSP) was extracted and hydrolyzed by different enzymes (Alcalase, trypsin, pancreatin and pepsin). Then, the degree of hydrolysis (DH), amino acid composition, functional characteristics (e.g., solubility, and water- and oil-holding capacity), free radical inhibiting activity, reducing power, total antioxidant activity (TAA) and metal ion chelating activity of the hydrolysates (DSPHs) were examined. Chemical analysis of the obtained protein concentrate (∼ 65 %) indicated the presence of amide A and B regions. Also, amide I to III regions and secondary structures (α-helix, β-sheet, β-tern and random coils) were observed in the extracted DSP-protein. The DH and essential amino acids content of DSPHs were affected by enzyme type. The hydrolysis treatments resulted in a significant increase in the solubility of DSP, particularly in acidic pH levels and around its isoelectric point. In comparison to DSP, DSPHs also exhibited higher inhibitory activity against free radicals such as DPPH (72.5 %), ABTS (92.5 %), OH (64.5 %), and NO (57.9 %). Furthermore, DSPHs demonstrated greater reducing power (1.84), TAA (2.3), and enhanced chelating activity towards iron (73.2 %) and copper (40.1 %) transition ions. Various factors, including DH and the composition of amino acids, especially the amount of charged, hydrophobic, and antioxidant types, have played a crucial role in these outcomes. With their significant nutritive, functional, antioxidant, and metal ion chelating activities, DSPHs can serve as a natural additive to enhance the nutritional value and stability of various food products.

Exploring the Proteomic Profile of Soybean Bran: Unlocking the Potential for Improving Protein Quality and Quantity.

Soybean is a rich source of vegetal protein for both animal and human consumption. Despite the high levels of protein in soybean seeds, industrial processing to obtain soybean bran significantly decreases the final protein content of the byproducts. To overcome this problem, cultivars with higher protein contents must be developed. However, selecting the target proteins is difficult because of the lack of information on the proteome profile of soybean bran. Therefore, this study obtained the comparative proteomic profiles of both natural coatless seeds and defatted bran from an elite tropical-soybean cultivar. Thus, their extracts were characterized using LC-MS/MS and a total of 550 proteins were identified. Among these, 526 proteins were detected in coatless seeds and 319 proteins in defatted bran. Moreover, a total of 139 proteins were identified as presenting different levels of content in coatless seeds and defatted bran. Among them, only 46 were retained after the seed processing. These proteins were clustered in several important metabolic pathways, such as amino-acid biosynthesis, sugar biosynthesis, and antioxidant activity, meaning that they could act as targets for bioactive products or genome editing to improve protein quality and quantity in soybean grains. These findings can enhance our understanding regarding protein robustness for both soybean crops and the commercial bran improvement because target proteins must remain intact after processing and must be bioactive when overexpressed. Overall, the soybean bran proteomic profile was explored for the first time, providing a valuable catalogue of target proteins that can tolerate the industrial process.

A Genome-Wide Association Study Reveals Region Associated with Seed Protein Content in Cowpea.

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp., 2n = 2x = 22) is a protein-rich crop that complements staple cereals for humans and serves as fodder for livestock. It is widely grown in Africa and other developing countries as the primary source of protein in the diet; therefore, it is necessary to identify the protein-related loci to improve cowpea breeding. In the current study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on 161 cowpea accessions (151 USDA germplasm plus 10 Arkansas breeding lines) with a wide range of seed protein contents (21.8~28.9%) with 110,155 high-quality whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify markers associated with protein content, then performed genomic prediction (GP) for future breeding. A total of seven significant SNP markers were identified using five GWAS models (single-marker regression (SMR), the general linear model (GLM), Mixed Linear Model (MLM), Fixed and Random Model Circulating Probability Unification (FarmCPU), and Bayesian-information and Linkage-disequilibrium Iteratively Nested Keyway (BLINK), which are located at the same locus on chromosome 8 for seed protein content. This locus was associated with the gene Vigun08g039200, which was annotated as the protein of the thioredoxin superfamily, playing a critical function for protein content increase and nutritional quality improvement. In this study, a genomic prediction (GP) approach was employed to assess the accuracy of predicting seed protein content in cowpea. The GP was conducted using cross-prediction with five models, namely ridge regression best linear unbiased prediction (rrBLUP), Bayesian ridge regression (BRR), Bayesian A (BA), Bayesian B (BB), and Bayesian least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (BL), applied to seven random whole genome marker sets with different densities (10 k, 5 k, 2 k, 1 k, 500, 200, and 7), as well as significant markers identified through GWAS. The accuracies of the GP varied between 42.9% and 52.1% across the seven SNPs considered, depending on the model used. These findings not only have the potential to expedite the breeding cycle through early prediction of individual performance prior to phenotyping, but also offer practical implications for cowpea breeding programs striving to enhance seed protein content and nutritional quality.

Nutritional, bioactive components and health properties of the milpa triad system seeds (corn, common bean and pumpkin).

The milpa system is a biocultural polyculture technique. Heritage of Mesoamerican civilizations that offers a wide variety of plants for food purposes. Corn, common beans, and pumpkins are the main crops in this agroecosystem, which are important for people's nutritional and food security. Moreover, milpa system seeds have great potential for preventing and ameliorating noncommunicable diseases, such as obesity, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, among others. This work reviews and analyzes the nutritional and health benefits of milpa system seeds assessed by recent preclinical and clinical trials. Milpa seeds protein quality, vitamins and minerals, and phytochemical composition are also reviewed. Evidence suggests that regular consumption of milpa seeds combination could exert complementing effect to control nutritional deficiencies. Moreover, the combination of phytochemicals and nutritional components of the milpa seed could potentialize their individual health benefits. Milpa system seeds could be considered functional foods to fight nutritional deficiencies and prevent and control noncommunicable diseases.

ANN and RSM based Modeling of Moringa Stenopetala Seed Oil Extraction: Process Optimization and Oil Characterization

Moringa Stenopetala is a plant species that is endemic to the southern region of Ethiopia. It is primarily cultivated for its nutritional value and is considered an important food source. The present research aimed to analyse the physicochemical properties of Moringa Stenopetala seed oil (MSO) obtained through solvent extraction method utilising hexane as the solvent. The collection of seeds was conducted in Adama, which is situated in the East Shawa zone of Oromia, Ethiopia. Prior to the extraction procedure, the seeds' average moisture content, crude ash, fibre, protein, and oil content were analysed and found to be 6.27%, 7.8%, 2.7%, 26.5%, and 43.2%, respectively. Using the Response Surface Method (RSM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), the extraction process was modeled. The study utilised numerical solutions to determine the optimal process parameters for maximising oil yield during extraction. The results indicated that a particle size of 0.85mm, a temperature of 85°C, and an extraction time of 4.75 hours were the most effective parameters. Furthermore, an investigation was conducted on the physical and chemical properties of the oil obtained under optimised conditions.

Evaluation of Steaming and Drying of Black Sesame Seeds for Nine Cycles Using Grey-Correlation Analysis Based on Variation-Coefficient Weight.

This study aimed to improve the steaming process of black sesame seeds. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted using the grey-correlation method based on the variation-coefficient weight to observe the treatments of normal-pressure (NPS) and high-pressure (HPS) steaming (with/without soaking in water) for nine cycles. Their effects on the contents of water, protein, fat, ash, melanin, sesamin, and sesamolin of black sesame seeds, as well as the sensory score of the black sesame pill, were determined. We found that with varied steaming methods and increased steaming cycles, the contents of the nutritional and functional components of black sesame seeds and the sensory score of the black sesame pill differed. The results of the variation-coefficient method showed that water, protein, fat, ash, melanin, sesamin, sesamolin, and sensory score had different effects on the quality of black sesame seeds with weighting factors of 34.4%, 5.3%, 12.5%, 11.3%, 13.9%, 11.3%, 7.8%, and 3.5%, respectively. The results of two-factor analysis of variance without repeated observations indicated that the grey-correlation degree of HPS was the largest among the different steaming treatments, and the following sequence was HPS after soaking in water (SNPS), NPS, and SNPS. There was no significant difference between NPS and SNPS (p < 0.05). Moreover, with increased cycles, the value of the grey-correlation degree increased. The comprehensive score of the procedure repeated nine times was significantly higher than other cycles (p < 0.05). The results of the grey-correlation degree and grade analysis showed that the best steaming process of black sesame seeds was HPS for nine cycles, followed by HPS for eight cycles and NPS after soaking in water (SNPS) for nine cycles. These findings could provide a scientific basis for replacing SNPS with HPS to simplify steaming and realize the parametric steaming of black sesame seeds, and thus, ensure the quality of black-sesame products.

The study of the correlation between productivity and biochemical parameters of soybean

The purpose of the current study was to identify the correlation between seed productivity and quality indicators of the soybean collection samples. The study was carried out in the fields of the FSBSI “ARC “Donskoy” in 2019–2021. Over the years of study, the weather conditions were unstable and differed from the long-term mean data. The objects of research were 85 soybean samples from the world collection of the N. I. Vavilov Institute. The study has established that the most variable trait was productivity (V = 45.4 %) than protein (V = 6.4 %) and oil percentage in seeds (V = 9.7 %). The correlation between productivity and seed quality was weak and amounted to r = –0.24 with protein and r = 0.29 with oil content. The correlation between protein and oil content was higher and amounted to r = –0.51. Span charting showed that the bulk of soybean collection samples had a mean protein percentage of 40.5–43.0 %, and the most productive samples had 39.0–39.5 % of protein. The predominant part of the collection had an oil content in seeds from 19.0 to 21.5 %, which also included samples with maximum seed productivity and 19.0–19.5 % of oil. Against the background of the established negative correlation between protein and oil content in seeds, there were found the samples with a very high content of protein and oil in seeds at the same time. There were selected three soybean collection samples (‘Zodiak’ (Moldova), ‘Selekta-101’ (Russia) and ‘Antuxiaoneidou’ (China), which had large productivity a high content of protein and oil in seeds. The study results of the correlation between seed productivity and quality indicators of the soybean collection samples will be used in further breeding work.

Comparative Study on the Starter Cultures as Influence on Yogurt Fortified with Hemp Seeds Protein

Comparative Study on the Starter Cultures as Influence on Yogurt Fortified with Hemp Seeds Protein

Применение инокулянта и микроудобрений на сое в условиях Центрального Черноземья

The effect of soybean seeds inoculation as well as the treatment of seeds and vegetating soybean plants with microfertilizers on productivity and economically valuable traits of the crop in the conditions of the Central Chernozem region was studied. The highest yield – 2.42 t/ha (on average for four years) was obtained on the variant the seed inoculation and the treatment of seeds and vegetative soybean plants with a microfertilizer Microvit St were applied. The yield increase in this variant was 0.68 t/ha or 39.1%. The higher amounts of crude protein in soybean seeds were observed in variants where seeds were treated with an inoculant (29.3–32.3%). The greatest difference compared to the control was noted in the variants: Background + Microvit St (seed treatment) + (Microvit Zn + Microvit B (plant treatment); Background + Microvit St (seed treatment + plant treatment), it was 4.2% and 3.5%, respectively. The highest protein yield in the soybean crop was obtained also on the abovementioned variants – 0.77 t/ha and 0.75 t/ha, respectively. The fat content in soybean seeds did not depend on the treatment with preparations and averaged 25.3%. The usage of innovative preparations allowed reducing the prime cost of seeds by 1.82–5.09 thousand RUR/ton and increasing the level of profitability by 15–51% compared to the control variant. As a result of the application of technological practices, an increase in plants preservation by the end of the growing season was noted, the 1000 seeds weight increased and the quality indicators of soybean seeds improved.

Functional Bioactivities of Soluble Seed Proteins from Two Leguminous Seeds

Functional Bioactivities of Soluble Seed Proteins from Two Leguminous Seeds

Research on the Differences in Phenotypic Traits and Nutritional Composition of Acer Truncatum Bunge Seeds from Various Regions.

Acer truncatum Bunge (ATB) is an excellent edible woody oil tree species since it bears a huge amount of fruit and has strong adaptability to be widely cultivated. Selecting an optimal cultivation region for ATB is crucial to improving China's woody oil industrialization. Chemical analysis, correlation analysis, and affiliation function values were used in the present research to systematically analyze the phenotypic traits, organic compound content, and seed oil chemical composition of the seeds of ATB from nine regions. The average contents of oil, protein, and soluble sugar in ATB seeds were 43.30%, 17.40%, and 4.57%, respectively. Thirteen fatty acids were identified from ATB seed oil, the highest content of which was linoleic acid (37.95%) and nervonic acid content was 5-7%. The maximum content of unsaturated fatty acids in ATB seed oil was 90.09%. Alpha-tocopherol content was up to 80.75 mg/100 g. The degree of variation in seed quality traits (25.96%) was stronger than in morphological traits (14.55%). Compared to environmental factors, the phenotypic traits of seeds contribute more to organic compounds and fatty acids. Combining the values of the indicator affiliation functions, Gilgarang, Tongliao, Inner Mongolia was selected as the optimal source of ATB for fruit applications from nine regions.

Analysis of LncRNA43234-Associated ceRNA Network Reveals Oil Metabolism in Soybean.

Soybean [Glycine max (Linn.) Merr.] is an important oil crop. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a variety of functions in plants. However, their function in the soybean oil synthesis pathway is yet to be uncovered. Here, the lncRNA43234 gene related to soybean oil synthesis was screened, and the full-length cDNA sequence of the lncRNA was obtained using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. Overexpression of lncRNA43234 increased the content of crude protein in seeds, decreased the content of oleic acid, and affected the content of alanine and arginine in free amino acids. RNA interference of the lncRNA43234 gene decreased the crude protein content in seeds. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that lncRNA43234 influenced the expression of XM_014775786.1 associated with phosphatidylinositol metabolism by acting as a decoy for miRNA10420, thereby affecting the content of soybean oil. Our results provide insights into how lncRNA-mediated competing endogenous RNA regulatory networks are involved in soybean oil synthesis.

Novel Milk Substitute Based on Pea, Bean and Sunflower Seeds with Natural Bioactive Stabilisers.

The aim of this research was to create a plant-based beverage based on seeds of sunflower (Helianthus annuus), pea (Pisum sativum) and runner bean (Phaseolus multiflorus). The selection of the ingredients was based on the main objective to obtain the nutritional value and sensory characteristics of a formed product similar to cow's milk. The ingredient proportions were created by comparing the protein, fat and carbohydrate content of seeds versus cow's milk. Due to the observed low long-term stability of plant-seed-based drinks, a water binding guar gum, a thickener in the form of locust bean gum and gelling citrus amidated pectin containing dextrose were added and evaluated as functional stabilisers. All of the designed and created systems were subjected to selected methods of characterisation of the most important final product properties, such as rheology, colour, emulsion and turbidimetric stability. Rheological analysis confirmed the highest stability of the variant supplemented with 0.5% guar gum. Both stability and colour measurements indicated the positive characteristics of the system supplemented with 0.4% pectin. Finally, the product with 0.5% guar gum was identified as the most distinctive and similar vegetable drink to cow's milk.

Variability and heritability of technological characteristics of Amaranthus leaves and seeds

This study aimed to determine the variability properties of four major types of Amaranthus species in protein and amino acids content in leaves and flowers. Obtained results by ion exchange chromatography in our study have shown high values for the content of essential amino acids lysine and methionine. In the leaf, the lysine content ranged from 3.9 (A. caudatus) to 7.0 (A. cruentus; A. moleros), and in the flowers from 4.2 (A. caudatus) to 6.7 (A. molleros). The methionine content ranged from 3.1 (A. caudatus) to 7.4 (A. mantegazzianus) in the leaf and in the flower from 2.9 (A. caudatus) to 6.7 (A. mantegazzianus). Besides lysine and methionine, significant values of other essential amino acids were recorded, respectively. Significant concentrations of total proteins were recorded in all examined genotypes. The heritability of the studied characters as protein and mineral content of seeds and leaves, and oil contents of seed were significantly high. The maximum values of the protein content of seeds were 16.55% (A. cruentus), in leaves 20.10% (A. caudatus), and the minerals in seeds 2.73% (A. moleros), and leaves 18.76% (A. mantegazzianus). The oil content of seeds was 6.16% (A. moleros). The oil content of the seed’s proportion of genetic variance to total phenotypic variance was 72%, and it has a significant impact on ecological factors. Tested divergent Amaranthus genotypes may serve as parents for further crossing. Amaranth seeds is gluten-free and is important in the diet of celiac patients and contains amino acids, especially lysine, which acts against the herpes virus. Amaranth from amaranth leaves biologically active substance that prevents heart muscle damage during ischemic processes. Amaranth seed oil has hypolipemic, anti-atherosclerotic, hypotensive and antioxidant activity.

Peptide Hydrolysate of Telfairia occidentalis Hook f. Seed Protein Promotes Effective Glucose Homeostasis by Improving β-cell Dysfunction and Abating Carbohydrate Metabolic Disturbance in Diabetic Rats

Rising concerns with the use of synthetic antidiabetic drugs have promoted a shift towards the use of natural products. This study therefore investigated the antidiabetic activity of peptide hydrolysate of Telfairia occidentalis (T. occidentalis) seed protein (PHTOSP) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Thirty-six (36) experimental animals were randomly distributed into six groups (A–F) of six rats each (n = 6). Group A served as normal control while groups B, C, D, E, and F were treated with streptozotocin (STZ, 50 mg/kg body weight, b.w, i.p) dissolved in cold citrate buffer (0.1 M, pH 4.5) to induce type 2 diabetes. Groups C, D, and E were administered 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg b.w PHTOSP, respectively, while groups B and F were diabetic untreated and 5 mg/kg b.w glibenclamide-treated controls, respectively, in the experiment that lasted for 21 days. Subsequently, the analysis of biochemical parameters demonstrated a significant (p&lt;0.05) increase in serum insulin, hepatic glycogen, hexokinase, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities, accompanied by a significant (p&lt;0.05) reduction in fasting serum glucose, glucose-6-phosphatase, and fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, along with an enhancement in relative body weight. Similarly, PHTOSP demonstrated a significant (p&lt;0.05) improvement on high-density (HDL) and low-density (LDL) lipoproteins, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and atherogenic index (AI) significantly (p&lt;0.05). In addition, histoarchitectural analysis revealed a reversal of congestion and proliferation of inflammatory cells in the pancreatic tissue following treatment with PHTOSP. Therefore, PHTOSP might possess potential antidiabetic properties such that it improves glycolytic pathway and promotes cell survival that are helpful in the management of diabetes mellitus (DM).

Prediction of ACE‐inhibitory and antioxidant peptides from storage proteins of edible seeds and nuts using in silico approaches

AbstractRecently, plant protein‐derived peptides with diverse bioactivities have gained special attention with regards to health promoting and disease prevention. Among the different plant sources, edible seeds and nuts are known to contribute essential nutritional needs and promote several health benefits. Storage proteins of edible seeds and nuts are known to fulfill the essential nutritional needs and impart several health promoting benefits. In the present study, we attempt to use in silico approaches to divulge storage proteins derived peptides with angiotensin I‐converting enzyme (ACE)‐inhibition and antioxidant properties. In silico hydrolysis of 10 storage proteins using 8 proteases released multiple peptides exhibiting numerous bioactivities. The storage proteins majorly released ACE inhibitory peptides which were subjected for further evaluation (BIOPEP, PeptideRanker, ToxinPred, AllerTOP, and Pepsite2). A total of 25 peptides were considered potential ACE‐inhibitory peptides. Additionally, AnOxPePred webserver was used to evaluate the potential of storage proteins as precursors of antioxidant peptides. As evident from docking analysis (HPEPDOCK), peptides PGCR, GFEWIAFK, GFFYR, and HFR displayed significant interaction with key residues of Kelch‐like ECH‐associated protein 1, a modulator of intracellular oxidant status. Non‐toxic peptide PGCR exhibited both antioxidant and antihypertensive activities and was found to be the most promising peptide. This study opened new avenue for storage proteins of edible seeds and nuts as ingredients in development of nutraceutical formulations.