Publication no. C-1997-0616-02R |  VIEW ARTICLE

Use of Enzymes for the Separation of Protein from Rice Flour.

Frederick F. Shih (1,2) and Kim Daigle (1). (1) Southern Regional Research Center, PO Box 19687, New Orleans, LA 70179. (2) Corresponding author. E-mail: <fshih@nola.srrc.usda.gov> Cereal Chem. 74(4):437-441. Accepted March 14, 1997. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc., 1997.

When rice flour was treated with heat stable alpha-amylases, the effectiveness of protein separation increased with increased temperature. Depending on the enzyme, treatment at 90°C for 45 min resulted in protein contents of 47-65% for the insoluble fraction. Prior gelatinization enhanced the effectiveness of the enzyme reaction but was undesirable because the increased viscosity and gelation could cause difficulties in the processing operation. Follow-up treatment with other carbohydrate-hydrolyzing enzymes, such as glucoamylase, cellulase, and hemicellulase further increased the protein content up to 76% for the insoluble fraction. The subunit structure of the isolated proteins, based on electrophoretic analysis, remained practically unchanged after the treatment. The limited solubility and emulsion activity of rice protein were also unchanged.