Lipovitellin. 2. The influence of water on the stability of lipovitellin and the effects of freezing and of drying

Abstract

The lipid-protein complexes (lipoproteins) of tissues are usually said to be decomposed by freezing or drying; in fact, modern theories of their structure generally include water as an integral part of the molecule (e.g. Little or no quantitative information on the subject has, how- ever, been published and, in view of the increasing tendency towards preserving sensitive biological materials and foods in the frozen or dried state, an investigation of the effects on a lipoprotein of freezing and of drying has been carried out. Lipo- vitellin from egg yolk was chosen as experimental material for reasons already given (Lea & Hawke, 1951).