Extraction of proteins and amino

Extraction of Proteins and Amino Acids Using Reversed Micelles... 

The solubilisation of proteins and amino acids in organic solvents by reversed micelles provides a new method for the selective recovery, separation and concentration of bioproducts using liquid->liquid extraction techniques. Selectivity is affected by electrostatic interactions between the charged residues or moieties of the solute and the surfactant headgroups. These interactions are mediated by electrostatic screening as affected by solution ionic strength. The more hydrophobic the amino acid residue, the more favourable is the solubilisation of this residue in the partially structured water pool of the reversed micelle relative to the bulk, unstructured water phase. 

Recent development of the use of reversed micelles (aqueous surfactant aggregates in organic solvents) to solubilize significant quantities of nonpolar materials within their polar cores can be exploited in the development of new concepts for the continuous selective concentration and recovery of heavy metal ions from dilute aqueous streams. The ability of reversed micelle solutions to extract proteins and amino acids selectively from aqueous media has been recently demonstrated the results indicate that strong electrostatic interactions are the primary basis for selectivity. The high charge-to-surface ratio of the valuable heavy metal ions suggests that they too should be extractable from dilute aqueous solutions. 

Several factors indicate that the amino acids detected in all of these carbonaceous chondrites are indigenous and that they must have originated abiotically. First, the presence of protein and non-protein amino acids, with approximately equal quantities of D and L enantiomers points to a nonbiological origin and precludes terrestrial contamination. In addition, the non-extractable fraction of the Murchison is significantly heavier in 13C than terrestrial samples. Finally, the relative abundances of some compounds detected resemble those of products formed in prebiotic synthesis experiments. The aliphatic hydrocarbons are randomly distributed in chain length, and the C2, C3, and C4 amino acids have the highest concentrations (i.e., the most easily synthesized amino acids with the least number of possible structures are most abundant) [4]. 

Table X. Amino Acid Compositions of Acid Hydrolyzed Protein Fractions from DMSO and Aqueous Extracts of Pondweed and Water Spinach3...

Recently however, it has been recognized that liquid extraction is a potential method in the primary recovery of fermentation cell culture products, such as proteins and amino acids. The separation problem, however, is difficult because the product mixtures are often complex, including cell debris and enzymes. Proteins are not suitable for conventional solvent extraction because of incompatibility with organic solvents, but can be handled in aqueous two-phase systems or by extraction in reverse micellar systems (Chapter 15). 

The mechanism of separation of biological molecules such as proteins and amino acids, and the parameters that affect the extraction distribution coefficient and the kinetics of extraction have been studied more extensively than the extraction of inorganic solutes. This is mainly due to the variety of size and structure of these molecules and, furthermore, to the fact that their characteristics may be adversely affected by their contact with solvents and surfactants. 

Extraction of a portion of whey proteins, peptides, and amino acids Suitable for extraction of caseins and peptides from young cheeses. Not as effect as water Extraction of bitter and astringent peptides... 

Fluorimetric methods for the determination of amino acids are generally more sensitive than colorimetric methods. Fluorescamine (4-phenyl-spiro[furan-2(3H),l -phthalan]-3,3 -dione) and o-phthaldialdehyde (OPA) substances are used for protein analysis. Fluorescamine reacts with amino groups to form fluorophores that excite at 390 nm and emit at 475 nm (Weigele et al., 1972). Applications of fluorescamine include monitoring the hydrolysis of K-casein (Beeby, 1980 Pearce, 1979) and quantification of proteins, peptides, amino acids in extracts (Creamer et al., 1985). OPA produces fluorescence on reaction with 2-mercaptoethanol and primary amines, with strong absorption at 340 nm. Lemieux et al. (1990) claimed that this method was more accurate, convenient, and simple for estimating free amino acids than the TNBS, ninhydrin, or fluorescamine methods. 

The first intimation that mutagens could be formed from natural food substances came from the laboratory of Sugimura, where it was found that mutagenic activity was found in smoke condensates or in DMSO extracts of the charred surface of fish and meat. This activity could not be accounted for by the amounts of BaP and PAH known to be present. Extracts of pyrolysates of various proteins and amino acids were also mutagenic (14). 

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