Separation and quantitation of milk whey proteins of close isoelectric points by on-line capillary isoelectric focusing--electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in glycerol-water media

On-line coupling between CIEF and ESI/MS based on the use of bare fused-silica capillaries and glycerol-water media, recently developed in our laboratory, has been investigated for the separation of milk whey proteins that present close pI values. First, a new rinsing procedure, compatible with MS detection, has been developed to desorb these rather hydrophobic proteins (α-casein (α-CN), bovine serum albumin (BSA), lactoferrin (LF)) from the inner capillary wall and to avoid capillary blockages. Common hydrochloric acid washing solution was replaced by a multi-step sequence based on the use of TFA, ammonia and ethanol. To achieve the separation of major whey proteins (β-lactoglobulin A (β-LG A), β-lactoglobulin B (β-LG B), α-lactalbumin (α-LA) and BSA, which possess close pI values (4.5-5.35), CIEF parameters i.e. carrier ampholyte nature, capillary partial filling length with ampholyte/protein mixture and focusing time, have been optimized with respect to total analysis time, sensitivity and precision on pI determination. After optimization of sheath liquid composition (80:20 (v/v) methanol-water+1% HCOOH), quantitation of β-LG A, β-LG B, α-LA and BSA was performed. The limits of detection obtained from extracted ion current (EIC) and single ion monitoring (SIM) modes were in the 57-136 nM and 11-68 nM range, respectively. Finally, first results obtained from biological samples demonstrated the suitability of CIEF-MS as a potential alternative methodology to 2D-PAGE to diagnose milk protein allergies.     

原料奶、婴儿配方奶粉及酸奶中蛋白去除效果的研究

建立了毛细管电泳法分析α-乳白蛋白、β-乳球蛋白A及β-乳球蛋白B的方法,考察了不同浓度冰乙酸(HAc)及三氯乙酸(TCA)对原料奶、婴儿配方奶粉A和B及酸奶中蛋白的去除效果。结果表明,TCA去除蛋白效果优于HAc,不同样品所需TCA浓度不同:2g原料奶需3mL100g/LTCA;0.5g婴儿配方奶粉A和B分别需5mL10g/L及20g/LTCA;2g酸奶则需3mL20g/LTCA才能将蛋白完全沉淀。为原料奶、婴儿配方奶粉及酸奶等乳制品的样品前处理提供了有价值的参考。     

Selection of possible marker peptides for the detection of major ruminant milk proteins in food by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

The aim of this work was the determination of peptides, which can function as markers for identification of milk allergens in food samples. Emphasis was placed on two casein proteins (α- and β-casein) and two whey proteins (α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin). In silico tryptic digestion provided preliminary information about the expected peptides. After tryptic digestion of four milk allergens, the analytical data obtained by combination of reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography and quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) led to the identification of 26 peptides. Seven of these peptides were synthesized and used for calibration of the LC-MS/MS system. Species specificity of the selected peptides was sought by BLAST search. Among the selected peptides, only LIVTQTMK from β-lactoglobulin (m/z 467.6, charge 2+) was found to be cow milk specific and could function as a marker. Two other peptides, FFVAPFPEVFGK from α-casein (m/z 693.3, charge 2+) and GPFPIIV from β-casein (m/z 742.5, charge 1+), occur in water buffalo milk too. The other four peptides appear in the milk of other species also and can be used as markers for ruminant species milk. Using these seven peptides, a multianalyte MS-based method was developed. For the establishment of the method, it was applied at first to different dairy samples, and then to chocolate and blank samples, and the peptides could be determined down to 1 ng/mL in food samples. At the end, spiked samples were measured, where the target peptides could be detected with a high recovery (over 50%).     

Thermal stability of whey proteins studied by differential scanning calorimetry

The thermal stability of the bovine whey proteins.; β-lactoglobulin (β-1g), α-lactalbumin (α-1a) and serum albumin (BSA) was studied individually and in mixtures in the temperature range 25–140°C by differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal denaturation temperature (T_D) and the transition enthalpies (ΔH_app) were determined at different pH-values (3.0–10.0) in simulated milk ultrafil-trate (SMUF).β-Lg was, except at pH 9.0 and 10.0, the most thermostable protein at all pH-values. At acidic pH-values BSA was the least thermostable. At alkaline pH-values, however, α-la had lower thermal stability than BSA. α-La exhibited double peak behaviour at acidic pH-values and ΔH_app was dependent on Ca-content. Mixtures of the proteins were studied at pH 4.0, 5.0 and 6.6. In general, when mixed, the proteins seemed to denaturate independently of each other.     

高效液相色谱法分离测定牦牛乳中的8种蛋白质

建立了同时分离和测定牦牛乳中4种酪蛋白和4种乳清蛋白的反相高效液相色谱方法。脱脂牦牛乳经分散剂处理后,采用C4色谱柱(250 mm×4.6 mm,300,5μm i.d.)进行分离,以0.1%的三氟乙酸水溶液和0.1%的三氟乙酸乙腈溶液为流动相,流速为0.8 mL/min,梯度洗脱,二极管阵列检测器(DAD)在220nm波长下检测,外标法定量。结果表明,牦牛乳中8种主要蛋白质在40 min内完全分离,在各自的线性范围内呈良好线性,除α-乳白蛋白外,其余7种蛋白的相关系数均大于0.99。8种蛋白质的回收率为86%～103%,相对标准偏差(RSDs)为1.7%～8.7%;检出限(LODs)为10.7～39.2 mg/L,定量下限(LOQs)为35.7～130.7 mg/L。该方法的准确度和精密度均较高,能够满足实际检测的要求。     

Analysis of proteins in biological samples by capillary sieving electrophoresis with postcolumn derivatization/laser-induced fluorescence detection

Previously, we have demonstrated postcolumn derivatization of proteins separated by capillary sieving electrophoresis (CSE), in which naphthalene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde was employed as a fluorogenic labeling reagent. Standard proteins separated by CSE were reacted with naphthalene-2,3-dicarbaldehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) which plays a role of a reducing agent in the derivatization reaction. To improve the sensitivity, we attempted the use of ethanethiol instead of 2-ME. Ethanethiol showed 1.4- to 4.5-fold lower limits of detection for proteins than 2-ME. Furthermore, we found that 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (APTS) is a good marker for relative electrophoretic mobilities of proteins in CSE. Since APTS is a fluorescent and trivalent anion, it generates strong fluorescence and migrates faster than any of the proteins. Therefore, we employed APTS as a marker to obtain the relative electrophoretic mobilities of proteins. The present method was applied to the analyses of proteins in biological samples. Human Ewing's family tumor cell line 'RDES' was used as a sample. The cultured cells were lysed with a buffer containing Tris-HCl, NaCl, sodium dodecyl sulfate, and 2-ME. After denaturation, the lysate was directly introduced into the capillary. Several peaks, which would correspond to proteins with molecular mass ranging from 10 to 93?kDa, were found in the cell lysate. In addition, we measured a milk sample by the CSE with postcolumn derivatization. The electropherogram showed five major peaks which corresponded to α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, κ-casein, bovine serum albumin, and mixture of α- and β-casein.     

Quantitative Characterization of Bovine Serum Albumin, α-Lactalbumin and β-Lactoglobulin in Commercial Whey Sample by RP-LC

A simple, sensitive and precise reverse phase liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for quantification of bovine serum albumin (BSA), α-lactalbumin (α-La) and β–lactoglobulin (β-Lg) that are removed from whey waste by foam fractionation method. The data is reproducible over a wide concentration range. This optimized method allowed analysis of BSA, α-La, β-Lg in a mixture within 5 min and could be applied to the analysis of a variety of commercial and laboratory whey products within a short time.     

Comparison of capillary electrophoresis with traditional methods to analyse bovine whey proteins

The separation of the four major whey proteins by sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)-capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) is described. Whilst commercially purified whey proteins could be analysed using the recommended protocol, the more complex nature of an acid whey and a reconstituted whey protein concentrate (WPC) powder necessitated considerable refinement of the CGE sample buffer. Individual whey proteins in the acid whey and WPC samples were then also separated and quantitated using capillary zone electrophoresis, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and HPLC methods and the results were compared. The values obtained for -lactalbumin (-Lac) and β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) were consistent throughout the various methods, although size-exclusion HPLC, SDS-PAGE and SDS-CGE could not separate the two β-Lg variants or the glycosylated form of -Lac from the β-Lg. There was considerable variation in the values for the bovine serum albumin and immunoglobulin determined by the different methods and it was concluded that none of the methods could satisfactorily quantitate all four whey proteins.     

Separation of β-lactoglobulin A, B and C variants of bovine whey using capillary zone electrophoresis

β-Lactoglobulin is a whey protein that affects milk composition and product functionality and which can be present in up to eight genetic variant forms. A free zone capillary electrophoresis method has been developed to separate and identify the β-lactoglobulin A, B and C variants. Three buffer systems [borate, 2-(N-morpholino)-ethanesulphonic acid (MES) and bis(2-hydroxyethyl)imino-tris(hydroxymethyl)methane (Bistris)] were examined over a range of pH values and with the addition of the separation buffer modifiers Tween 20 and/or ethanolamine. The most successful combination of these was 50 mM MES at pH 8.0 with the addition of 0.1% Tween 20 which clearly resolved the three variants from both each other and from the other whey proteins even though the MES buffer was acting well outside its pK_a range (pH 5.3–7.3). The retention times and identification of the individual variants were verified by spiking with commercially purified β-lactoglobulin A and B proteins and a β-lactoglobulin AC whey. The method was then used to phenotype β-lactoglobulin in a sample population of New Zealand Jersey cows.     

Separation of Proteins in Human Milk

Abstract

A separation of proteins in human milk whey using high performance ion exchange chromatography is reported. Three chromatographic peaks were identified on the basis of retention times as bile salt-stimulated lipase (BSSL), lactoferrin, and α-lactalbumin. Implications for the purification of BSSL are discussed and suggestions for future purification procedures are made.     

Aqueous two-phase partitioning of milk proteins

Milk of transgenic pigs secreting recombinant human Protein C (rHPC) was used as a model system to determine the utility of aqueous two-phase extraction systems (ATPS) for the initial step in the purification of proteins from milk. The major challenges in purification of recombinant proteins from milk are removal of casein micelles (that foul processing equipment) and elimination of the host milk proteins from the final product. When milk was partitioned in ATPS composed of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and ammonium sulfate (AS), the phases were clarified and most of the caseins precipitated at the interphase. The partition coefficients of the major milk proteins and rHPC were dependent upon the molecular weight of the PEG used in the ATPS. Higher-partition coefficients of the major whey proteins, Β-lactoglobulin, and α-lactalbumin were observed in ATPS made up of lower molecular-weight PEG (1000 or 1450) as compared to systems using higher molecular-weight PEG. Lowering the pH of the ATPS from 7.5 to 6.0 resulted in increased precipitation of the caseins and decreased their concentration in both phases. rHPC had a partition coefficient of 0.04 in a system composed of AS and PEG 1450. The rHPC in pig milk was shown to be highly heterogenous by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The heterogeneity was owing to inefficient proteolytic processing of the single chain to the heterodimeric form and differences in glycosylation and other post-translational processing. Differential partitioning of the multiple forms of purified rHPC in the ATPS was not observed. rHPC after processing in ATPS was recovered in a clear phase free of most major milk proteins. ATPS are useful as the initial processing step in the purification of recombinant proteins from milk because clarification and enrichment is combined in a single step.     

High-Performance Gel-Permeation Chromatography of Bovine Skim Milk Proteins

Abstract

The separation of bovine skim milk proteins by gel-permeation high performance liquid chromatography was examined. Toya-Soda TSK-GEL (Type SW) columns were used with an eluent of .05 M phosphate buffer (pH 6.80) containing .1 M sodium sulfate at .5 ml/min. Bovine whole milk was centrifuged to remove lipids, and the resultant skim milk directly injected. A 2000SW column yielded three protein peaks: 1 = casein, IgG and BSA; 2 = 6-lactoglobulins and BSA; and 3 = α-lactalbumin and BSA. A 3000SW plus 2000SW column system with a 30 μl injection volume yielded four protein peaks: 1 = minor amounts of α - and β-casein; 2 = casein, BSA and IgG; 3 = β-lactoglobulins; and 4 = α¹-lactalbumin. A 3000SW plus 2000SW column system with a 10 μl injection volume yielded five protein peaks: 1 = casein; 2 = IgG; 3 = BSA; 4 = β-lactoglobulins; and 5 = α-lactalbumin. Both the single column and dual column applications yielded three nonprotein peaks, which were dialyzed from solution. Thus, a high speed analytical separation of milk proteins was achieved according to molecular size, but this application is highly dependent on sample size.     

Simultaneous anion and cation exchange chromatography of whey proteins using a customizable mixed matrix membrane

Membrane chromatography can overcome some of the limitations of packed bed column chromatography but preparation of adsorptive membranes usually involves complex and harsh chemical modifications. Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) require only the physical incorporation of an ion exchange resin into the membrane polymer solution prior to membrane casting. An advantage of MMMs not previously exploited is that resins with differing adsorptive functionalities can be conveniently embedded within a single membrane at any desired ratio. This presents the opportunity to customize an adsorptive membrane to suit the expected protein profile of a raw feed stream e.g. bovine whey or serum. In this work, a novel mixed mode interaction MMM customized to extract all major proteins from bovine whey was synthesized in a single membrane by incorporating 42.5 wt% Lewatit MP500 anionic resin and 7.5 wt% SP Sepharose cationic resin into an ethylene vinyl alcohol base polymer casting solution. The mixed mode MMM developed was able to bind both basic and acidic proteins simultaneously from whey, with binding capacities of 7.16±2.24 mg α-lactalbumin g(-1) membrane, 11.40±0.73 mg lactoferrin (LF)g(-1) membrane, 59.21±9.90 mg β-lactoglobulin g(-1) membrane and 6.79±1.11 mg immunoglobulin Gg(-1) membrane (85 mg total protein g(-1) membrane) during batch fractionation of LF-spiked whey. A 1000 m(2) spiral-wound membrane module (200 L membrane volume, 1m(3) module volume) is predicted to be able to produce approximately 25 kg total whey protein per h.     

Single and two-component cation-exchange adsorption of the two pure major whey proteins

Adsorption of pure α-lactalbumin (ALA) and β-lactoglobulin (BLG) to the cation exchanger SP Sepharose FF was studied at pH 3.7 with the purpose of developing a process for isolating them from whey. Measurement of Langmuir parameters describing adsorption equilibrium in batch experiments and protein breakthrough time values in 1-ml packed-beds at a linear velocity of 158 cm/h and initial concentrations of 3 mg/ml for BLG and 1.5 mg/ml for ALA suggested the feasibility of using this adsorbent to separate the two proteins when present in a mixture. Subsequent experiments with 5-ml columns at the above concentrations and a linear velocity of 30 cm/h confirmed this and showed evidence of competitive adsorption as ALA displaced and eluted all BLG from the column in a pure form, and the remaining ALA could be eluted thereafter at high purity and with 91% recovery.     

Molecular aspects of milk allergens and their role in clinical events

Milk allergy is the most frequent food allergy in childhood. Even though cases of newly developed milk allergy in adulthood are known, this allergy is less frequent in adults since it is normally outgrown by children during the first years of life. One of the reasons why allergy to cow’s milk shows its highest prevalence in children is its early introduction into the diets of babies when breast feeding is not possible. The major allergens are caseins and β-lactoglobulin, but allergies to other minor proteins (immunoglobulins, bovine serum albumin) have also been reported. Milk allergenicity can be reduced by various treatments (mainly hydrolysis), meaning that formulas based on cow’s milk can often be safely fed to children allergic to milk proteins. Cross-reactivity has been described between different mammalian milks and between milk and meat or animal dander. Cross-contamination can result from inadequate cleaning of industrial equipment and constitutes a hidden danger for allergic subjects who unknowingly ingest milk proteins. Figure Involvement (expressed as percentage of total subjects) of the most abundant milk proteins in the sensitization of 80 children allergic to cow’s milk. The upper panel includes all positive responses, even minor ones; data in the lower panel are restricted to the most severe positive responses (see text for details). SPT, skin prick test; CAP, CAP test; IMM, immunoblotting; alpha-LA, α-lactalbumin; beta-LG, β-lactoglobulin; cas, caseins; BSA, bovine serum albumin     

Ultrafiltration modes of operation for the separation of α-lactalbumin from acid casein whey

Whey is a complex protein mixture which contains two major proteins (β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin), the size of which are close to each other. The separation of α-lactalbumin by membrane processes can be made more performing by the appropriate selection of the operation mode. The equations of the models for continuous, discontinuous concentration or diafiltration (single or combined) are developed. They show that performances (purity, yield) depend on initial purity (initial feed), on transmission (membrane and operating conditions) and on the operation mode. Simulations and experimental concentration and diafiltration operation modes are in good accordance. They show that continuous concentration up to a high volume reduction ratio (11–15) or a combined continuous concentration–diafiltration helps to obtain a fraction with both an enhanced purity and a satisfactory yield of α-lactalbumin in the permeate.     

Proteolytic Activities of Kiwifruit Actinidin (Actinidia deliciosa cv. Hayward) on Different Fibrous and Globular Proteins: A Comparative Study of Actinidin with Papain

Actinidin, a member of the papain-like family of cysteine proteases, is abundant in kiwifruit. To date, a few studies have been provided to investigate the proteolytic activity and substrate specificity of actinidin on native proteins. Herein, the proteolytic activity of actinidin was compared to papain on several different fibrous and globular proteins under neutral, acidic and basic conditions. The digested samples were subjected to sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and densitometry to assess the proteolytic effect. Furthermore, the levels of free amino nitrogen (FAN) of the treated samples were determined using the ninhydrin colorimetric method. The findings showed that actinidin has no or limited proteolytic effect on globular proteins such as immunoglobulins including sheep IgG, rabbit IgG, chicken IgY and fish IgM, bovine serum albumin (BSA), lipid transfer protein (LTP), and whey proteins (α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin) compared to papain. In contrast to globular proteins, actinidin could hydrolyze collagen and fibrinogen perfectly at neutral and mild basic pHs. Moreover, this enzyme could digest pure α-casein and major subunits of micellar casein especially in acidic pHs. Taken together, the data indicated that actinidin has narrow substrate specificity with the highest enzymatic activity for the collagen and fibrinogen substrates. The results describe the actinidin as a mild plant protease useful for many special applications such as cell isolation from different tissues and some food industries as a mixture formula with other relevant proteases.     

Antigenicity of heat-treated and trypsin-digested milk samples studied by an optical immunochip biosensor

Abstract  

Individuals with known hypersensitivity or food allergy need to avoid ingestion of provoking food. Correct labelling of allergenic content in manufactured food products and the reliable determination of its residual immunoreactivity after several processing steps are therefore a major concern for the food industry. We evaluated the applicability of a new immunochip biosensor system to reveal the allergenic profile of the whey protein β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) in its natural biological cow’s milk matrix upon processing by tryptic digestion and extensive heat treatment. Colorimetric immunochemical signals generated by gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), in particular their functional optical property based on resonance-enhanced absorption of mirror-reflected light, were directly visible to the ‘naked’ eye of the analyst without the need of any instrumentation or enzyme-substrate for read-out. By using affinity-purified polyclonal rabbit IgG against the native protein, no antigenicity was detected for tryptic fragments. Both heat-denatured whey proteins and cow’s whole milk, however, did not lose their antibody-binding capacity even after a processing time of 20 min at 95°C for the whey proteins, and 60 min at 90°C for the milk, though the immunochemical response was considerably low compared to the unprocessed β-LG. Additionally, cross-reactivity and the false positive as well as false negative predictive value of the chip system were highlighted critically.     

Multiple reaction monitoring-based determination of bovine α-lactalbumin in infant formulas and whey protein concentrates by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry using tryptic signature peptides and synthetic peptide standards

The determination of α-lactalbumin in various dairy products attracts wide attention in multidiscipline fields because of its nutritional and biological functions. In the present study, we quantified the bovine α-lactalbumin in various infant formulas and whey protein concentrates using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometer in multiple reaction monitoring mode. Bovine α-lactalbumin was quantified by employing the synthetic internal standard based on the molar equivalent relationship among the internal standard, bovine α-lactalbumin and their signature peptides. This study especially focused on the recovery rates of the sample preparation procedure and robust quantification of total bovine α-lactalbumin in its native and thermally denatured form with a synthetic internal standard KILDKVGINNYWLAHKALCSE. The observed recovery rates of bovine α-lactalbumin ranged from 95.8 to 100.6% and the reproducibility was excellent (RSD < 6%) at different spiking levels. The limit of quantitation is 10 mg/100 g for infant formulas and whey protein concentrates. In order to validate the applicability of the method, 21 brands of infant formulas were analyzed. The acquired contents of bovine α-lactalbumin were 0.67–1.84 g/100 g in these infant formulas in agreement with their label claimed values. The experiment of heat treatment time showed that the loss of native α-lactalbumin enhanced with an increasing intensity of heat treatment. Comparing with Ren's previous method by analysis of only native bovine α-lactalbumin, the present method at the peptide level proved to be highly suitable for measuring bovine α-lactalbumin in infant formulas and whey protein concentrates, avoiding forgoing the thermally induced denatured α-lactalbumin caused by the technological processing.     

Efficient separation of homologous α-lactalbumin from transgenic bovine milk using optimized hydrophobic interaction chromatography

Transgenic bovine milk could be a rich source of recombinant human proteins. However, the co-presence of bovine and human homologous proteins can be a challenge for product purification. In this study, the average surface hydrophobicity and electric potential of human α-lactalbumin (HLA) and bovine α-lactalbumin (BLA) were analyzed and compared through the exposure area calculation of different amino acids. Based on the analysis, calcium independent hydrophobic interaction chromatography was selected for separation of recombinant human α-lactalbumin (rHLA) from BLA in transgenic bovine milk. The operating conditions for the best separation of two proteins were predicted by fluorescence data. Three commercially available HIC resins (Butyl Sepharose 4 FF, Octyl Sepharose 4 FF, Phenyl Sepharose 6 FF) were compared. The transgenic milk was skimmed and treated by pH adjustment to remove a large quantity of casein protein. The supernatant was loaded on the hydrophobic interaction chromatographic matrix. The correct elution fraction was further treated with gel filtration chromatography. The overall recovery of rHLA was up to 67.1% with the purity greater than 95%. Circular dichroism spectroscopy (CD) and mass spectrogram (MS) confirmed the native state and glycosylated form of the purified rHLA.