Abstract
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI/MS) was used to analyze the protein composition of corn prolamine (zein). Mass spectra were obtained from commercial zein and zein extracted with aqueous 2-propanol and aqueous ethanol from consumer corn meal. For the commercial zein, three major zein fractions with m/z 26.8k, 24.1k, and 23.4k were clearly seen with two minor fractions (m/z 14.5k and 20.4k) also present. As compared with the results from sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), these three fractions were identified as α-zeins (24.1k and 23.4k combined as Z19; 26.8k as Z22). When extracted with 55% aqueous 2-propanol, three α-zein fractions with m/z 26.8k, 24.1k, and 23.4k were predominant. When extracted with ethanol, extraction temperature had an effect on the final products. When extracted with 75% aqueous ethanol at room temperature, α-zein and some 17-18k species were observed, whereas at 60 °C, a small amount of δ-zein was also present. Comparison of the MALDI/MS results with SDS-PAGE and gene sequence analysis shows that the MALDI/MS method is superior to SDS-PAGE in having higher resolution and mass accuracy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5849-5854 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue number | 20 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 24 2003 |
Keywords
- Mass spectrometry
- Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionizatin (MALDI)
- Molecular weight
- Zein
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences