Chemical Characterization of Seed Proteins of Mirabilis jalapa L. (Nyctaginaceae)

Abstract

This article investigated chemical characteristics of Mirabilis jalapa seed proteins. Proteins were extracted from the deoiled seeds of Mirabilis jalapa L. in aqueous solutions at various pH values and also by using different concentrations of NaCl, Na₂SO₄, CaCl₂, and MgSO₄ at pH 7.0. The nitrogen content (1.77 ± 0.23 g/100 seed) of the seeds and deoiled seeds showed high protein content (11.0 ± 0.75 g/100 seed). Amino acid analyses of the total protein isolates confirmed the presence of 17 amino acids of which 9 are essential. The molecular weight of total protein isolates was determined by gel filtration and sodium dodecyl sulphate-poly acrylamide gel electrophoresis method. Studies on surface structure of the total protein isolates and seed flour by scanning electron microscopy were also performed.

Keywords:

• Mirabilis jalapa
• Seed protein
• Amino acid
• Gel filtration
• SDS-PAGE
• SEM

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors wish to express their gratitude to the Late Professor (Mrs.) Asima Chatterjee for encouraging them to begin work with this plant. The authors also wish to thank the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, India (SRF (Ext) to AN) for financial assistance.