Soybean protein solutions were irradiated with the doses of 0.1, 0.5 2.5M rad of cathode ray, to investigate the effect of irradiation on the properties of soybean protein, such as content of free SH groups, disc electrophoretic pattern and solubility behavior in freezing and thawing. FreeSH groups of the protein increased by the irradiation with 0.5M rad and their content was 7×10
-5M/10g protein by the dose of 2.5M rad. The irradiated protein in the solution, in which free SH groups increased, became more insoluble by freezing and thawing than untreated protein. Disc electrophoretic pattern of the 11S component irradiated with the dose of 0.5M rad showed a drastic changes with an increase of slow-moving components, but no change was observed by irradiation in the presence of mercaptoethanol.
The insolubilization of the irradiated protein in the solution by freezing and thawing might be promoted by the increase of active groups such as SH groups brought by conformational changes of the protein molecule with irradiation.
View full abstract