Our obsession with high resolution in gel electrophoresis: does it necessarily give the right answer?

Poor resolution of protein zones in an electrophoretic pattern may not necessarily be the result of poor technique. The example is given of the 'streak material', extracted from wheat flour, now recognised to be aggregated subunits of glutenin. The size distribution of the aggregated glutenin 'streak' is the key to elucidating the functional properties of wheaten dough. A stepped-layer gel technique has been devised to quantitate the proportions of aggregated glutenin in specific size groupings.