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Purity Assessment of Commercial Zein Products After Purification

  • Original Paper
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Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society

Abstract

Successful utilization of commercial zein products for certain food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and medical applications requires a decolorized/deodorized zein of high purity that can be achieved by column filtration of commercial yellow zein solutions through Zeolite 5A and activated carbon. The objective of this investigation was to devise a combination of methodologies to assess purity and degree of deodorization and decolorization. Off-odor removal is defined by a UV spectroscopic ratio of 280:325 nm where diferuloylputrescine is the major contributor. Removal of yellow color, attributed to xanthophylls in zein, was followed by visible spectroscopic assays of a series of dilutions at 448 nm. SDS-PAGE analysis demonstrated removal of β-zein in combination with diminished sulfur content by sulfur analysis. Zein purity was assessed by Dumas nitrogen and FTIR of commercial zein before and after column filtration. Spectral differences were observed in the amide I (1,650 cm−1) peak, amide II region (1,530 and 1,550 cm−1) and the amide III peak at 1,240 cm−1, where ratio of the dominant peaks were strongly dependent on purity of sample. Circular dichroism (CD) analyses validated the FTIR results by showing increased α-helical content for the column purified zeins. Combinations of these methodologies can be used to define zein products as a quality control measure for a commercial operation.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Global Protein Products, Waterville, ME and Biotechnology Research and Development Corporation, Peoria, IL for funding this research commencing 07/01/2008 to completion date 06/30/2010.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Polymer Research, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, USDA, ARS, 1815 N. University St, Peoria, IL, 61604, USA

    D. J. Sessa & K. K. Woods

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  1. D. J. Sessa
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  2. K. K. Woods
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Correspondence to D. J. Sessa.

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Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product and the use of the name by the USDA implies no approval of the product to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable.

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Sessa, D.J., Woods, K.K. Purity Assessment of Commercial Zein Products After Purification. J Am Oil Chem Soc 88, 1037–1043 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-011-1765-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-011-1765-4

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