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Abstract: Response surface methodology was employed to study the effect of liquid:solid ratio, NaCl concentration and reaction time on the production of protein from germinant pumpkin seeds. Regression analysis was performed on the data obtained. The most relevant variable was liquid:solid ratio. The coefficient determination (R2) was good for the second-order model. A liquid:solid ratio of 30.2: 1 (v/w), a NaCl concentration of 4.26% and a reaction time of 18.1 min were found to be optimal for protein extraction from germinant pumpkin seeds. By means of additional experiments, the adequacy of this model is confirmed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A process for the optimization of arachin from defatted peanut cakes had been developed. The process included pre-treatment, extraction by Tris-HCl buffer solution, pH adjustment and final separation by centrifugation. A Box-Behnken design including independent variables such as extraction temperature (x1), extraction pH (x2) and liquid-solid ratio (x3) was used. The variable with the largest effect was extraction pH. The optimum extraction conditions were found to be extraction temperature 56.0 °C, extraction pH 8.7 and liquid-solid ratio 14:1, under which the arachin yield could reach 310.4 g/kg defatted peanut cakes. The effect of ultra-high pressure treatment on the physiochemical properties of arachin was also evaluated. After processing, solubility, emulsifying activity, emulsifying stability and surface hydrophobicity changed significantly. The content of free sulphydryl groups, which were often associated with aggregation and gelation of proteins, also decreased. All the processes widened the utilization of by-products generated from oil extraction as a source of protein in human diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To contribute toward our understanding of therapy mechanism of pumpkin protein-bound polysaccharides, homogeneity and weight-average molecular weight of an acidic polysaccharide from the fruit of pumpkin (APBPP) was determined by HPLC. The amino acid and monosaccharide composition of APBPP were tested. In the acid hydrolysates of APBPP, analysis by HPLC showed the presence of mannose and arabinose in molar ratios of 1:2. Eighteen amino acids were identified to be components of the polymer. Alanine was the main amino acid (0.13%), followed by glutamic acid (0.113%) and serine (0.088%). But the relationship between the contents of amino acids and hypoglycemic activity of APBPP is not clear. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]