Influence of Microwave Heating on Biological Activities and Electrophoretic Pattern of Albumin Fraction of Wheat Grain

Abstract

ABSTRACT Microwave treatment is a sufficiently alternative technique to be applied widely in food production and cereals protection against insect pests. Water‐soluble proteins were washed out from microwave‐heated wheat grain for the purpose of assaying the influence on biological activities, reducing sugars content, and SDS‐PAGE electrophoresis proteins patterns. The differences between microwave‐heated grain samples were verified by analysis of variance at the P ≤ 0.05 level of significance. Microwave heating of wheat grain within the temperature range of 28–98°C caused a decrease in water‐extractable proteins, statistically significant when grain temperature reached 79 and 98°C. Statistically significant increase in reducing sugars content was noted in grain samples heated only to 48°C; a decrease was noted above this temperature. All biological activities studied (amylolytic and inhibition activities against α‐amylases from insects ( Sithophilus granarius L., Tribolium confusum Duv., Ephestia kuehniella Zell.), human saliva, hog pancreas, antitryptic activity) were distinctly diminished in grain samples heated to 79°C. At the highest grain temperature of 98°C, the loss of all biological activities were even more pronounced due to denaturation of ≈45% of extractable proteins. Among the wheat albumins studied by SDS‐PAGE, only eight and nine protein bands were detected in the grains heated to 98 and 28°C, respectively, whereas 12 bands were present in the control. The highest number of protein bands (13) was found in the grains heated to 48 and 64°C, respectively.