Oxidative modification of soy protein by peroxyl radicals

Oxidative modification of soy protein by peroxyl radicals generated in a solution containing 2,2’-azobis (2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (AAPH) under aerobic condition was investigated. Incubation of soy protein with increasing concentration of AAPH resulted in gradual generation of protein carbonyl derivatives and loss of protein sulphydryl groups. Circular dichroism spectra indicated that exposure of soy protein to AAPH led to loss of α-helix structure. Effect of oxidation on tertiary structure was demonstrated by surface hydrophobicity and tryptophan fluorescence. Surface hydrophobicity steadily decreased, accompanied by loss and burial of some tryptophan residues, indicating that soy protein gradually aggregated. The results of the size exclusion chromatogram (SEC) implied that incubation caused an AAPH-dose-dependent increase of fragmentation and aggregation of oxidised soy protein. Sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) indicated that non-disulphide linkages were involved in aggregate formation, and β-conglycinin was more vulnerable to peroxyl radicals than glycinin.