Functional aspects of blood plasma proteins.

Abstract

Abstract A method for studying the gelation of small quantities of plasma proteins in a cake-type model system was devised and was found to produce reproducible gels. The results indicated that considerable increases in the strength of the gels of porcine and bovine plasma and porcine serum developed as time and temperature of heating were raised. These increases were much greater than those obtained for comparable egg albumen gels. Of the plasma proteins fractionated by ion exchange chromatography, fraction 111 (albumin) followed a similar pattern to that of whole plasma. However, the gels of all three fractions were weaker than those of whole plasma, indicating interaction between the different proteins in the latter.