Some chemical investigations of Amoora rohituka seed proteins

The inadequate supply of protein food, especially in the context of increasing population, has been an important factor in malnutrition in third world countries. Proteins were extracted from de-oiled seeds of Amoora rohituka, a potential source of non-conventional seed, in aqueous solutions of various pHs or by different concentrations of NaCl, KCl, CaCl2 and MgSO4 at pH 7.0. The nitrogen content of seeds and de-oiled seeds showed good protein content. Fractionation of protein was done to separate albumin, globulin, prolamine and glutelin. Gel-permeation chromatography on Sephadex G-200 revealed the presence of six components. PAGE identified different polypeptide bands in the range of 15.5–67.6 kDa in the total protein isolate (TPI) as well as in protein fractions. Amino acid analysis of TPI and fractions isolated identified 16 amino acids, most of which are essential. Studies on surface topographies of proteins and seed flour by scanning electron microscope are also incorporated.