Thermal aggregation behaviour of soy protein: characteristics of different polypeptides and sub-units

Due to the differences in structure and composition of glycinin and β-conglycinin, they exhibit different characteristics during heat treatment. In present study, the thermal aggregation behaviour of glycinin, β-conglycinin and their isolated sub-units was investigated at pH 7.0.

Acidic polypeptides, basic polypeptides, αα' and β sub-units of soy protein were denatured during the isolation process. The degree of aggregation of protein fractions after heat treatment was in the order: denatured basic polypeptides > native glycinin > denatured β sub-unit > native β-conglycinin > denatured acidic polypeptides > denatured αα' sub-units. Glycinin, β-conglycinin, acidic polypeptides and αα'/β sub-units exhibited different changing trends of surface hydrophobicity with increasing temperature. The αα' sub-units showed higher ability to suppress thermal aggregation of basic polypeptides than β sub-units during heat treatment. The β sub-units were shown to form soluble aggregates with glycinin after heating.

The interaction mechanism of αα' and β sub-units heated with basic polypeptides was proposed. For the β sub-units-basic polypeptides mixed system, more hydrophobic chains were binding together and buried inside during heat treatment, which resulted in lower surface hydrophobicity. The αα' sub-units-basic polypeptides mixed system was considered to be a stable system with higher surface hydrophobicity after being heated.