Difference of Phytic Acid Content and its Relation to Four Protein Composition Contents in Grains of Twenty-nine japonica Rice Varieties from Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces,China

Twenty-nine japonica rice varieties collected from Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces, China were planted in Hangzhou, China, to investigate the phytic acid content in brown rice and its frequency distribution as well as the correlation among the contents of phytic acid, total protein and four protein compositions in brown rice. The phytic acid content in brown rice ranged from 0.699% to 1.034%, with a mean of 0.868% for the 29 tested rice varieties. Xiushui series rice varieties generally exhibited lower phytic acid level than Wuyujing and Huai series rice varieties. A rough normal distribution, with a mean of 8.722%, was observed for the total protein contents in the tested varieties. Of the four protein compositions, the glutelin, globulin and albumin contents had larger coefficient of variation than the prolamin content, although the difference in prolamin content was genotype-dependent. No significant correlation was found between the phytic acid and four protein composition contents, whereas the total protein content was significantly and positively related to the glutelin content in brown rice.

Comparisons of Protein Composition of Grains at Different Positions in Panicles between Erect and Curved Panicle Type Japonica Rice

Under field conditions, three erect panicle type japonica dee cultivars and three curved panicle type japonica rice cultivars were applied as experimental materials to investigate the differences of protein composition of grains at different positions in panicles between two different panicle types of japonica rice. Accord- ing to the results, the panicle type of japonica rice had no direct correlation with albumin content, globulin content, prolamin content and glutelin content in rice, variations of protein composition of grains at different positions in panicles. There were certain correlations between soluble protein contents at different grain posi- tions in the same panicle and the flowering order of glumous flowers in the panicle. Albumin content, prolamin content and glutelin content in grains on secondary rachis branches of two panicle types （erect and curved） of japonica rice cuhivars were higher than that on primary rachis branches, while globulin content exhibited an opposite trend. Globulin content, prolamin content and glutelin content in grains at different positions demonstrated a descending order of bottom 〉 middle 〉 top, while albumin content exhibited an opposite trend. The interactions between primary and secondary rachis branches and among top, middle and bottom rachis branches significantly affected soluble protein contents.

The potential of legume-derived proteins in the food industry

Legume-derived proteins present an opportunity to replace existing animal-source protein in various applications. Those proteins are abundant, relatively lowcost, sustainable, not highly allergenic, and widely acceptable by consumers. In this paper, it was found that legume-derived protein’s technofunctional properties(e.g. gelation, emulsification and foaming) are being investigated, in order to assess their ability to substitute for animal-derived proteins in food systems and applications. This paper reviewed the functional attributes of legume-derived proteins, their possible applications in food systems, and their potential in the food industry. The techno-functional properties of the proteins vary among different legumes, and while some proteins properties are sufficient for industrial uses, the other may need to be modified. It was concluded that legume-derived proteins could replace some existing animal-derived protein based food systems.

Characterization and analysis of ribosomal proteins in two marine calanoid copepods

Copepods are among the most abundant and successful metazoans in the marine ecosystem. However, genomic resources related to fundamental cellular processes are still limited in this particular group of crustaceans. Ribosomal proteins are the building blocks of ribosomes, the primary site for protein synthesis. In this study, we characterized and analyzed the c DNAs of cytoplasmic ribosomal proteins(c RPs) of two calanoid copepods, P seudodiaptomus poplesia and A cartia pacifi ca. We obtained 79 c RP c DNAs from P. poplesia and 67 from A. pacifi ca by c DNA library construction/sequencing and rapid amplifi cation of c DNA ends. Analysis of the nucleic acid composition showed that the copepod c RP-encoding genes had higher GC content in the protein-coding regions(CDSs) than in the untranslated regions(UTRs), and single nucleotide repeats(>3 repeats) were common, with "A" repeats being the most frequent, especially in the CDSs. The 3′-UTRs of the c RP genes were signifi cantly longer than the 5′-UTRs. Codon usage analysis showed that the third positions of the codons were dominated by C or G. The deduced amino acid sequences of the c RPs contained high proportions of positively charged residues and had high p I values. This is the fi rst report of a complete set of c RP-encoding genes from copepods. Our results shed light on the characteristics of c RPs in copepods, and provide fundamental data for further studies of protein synthesis in copepods. The copepod c RP information revealed in this study indicates that additional comparisons and analysis should be performed on different taxonomic categories such as orders and families.