Hydrolysis of the proteins of maize, Zea Mays / by Thomas B. Osborne and S.H. Clapp.

  • Thomas Burr Osborne
Date:
[1908]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Hydrolysis of the proteins of maize, Zea Mays / by Thomas B. Osborne and S.H. Clapp. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    3 Reprinted from the American Journal of Physiology. Vol. XX.—January*;i, 1908.—No. IV. HYDROLYSIS OF THE PROTEINS OF MAIZE, ZEA MAYS.1 By THOMAS B. OSBORNE and S. H. CLAPP. HE seeds of maize or Indian corn, Zea Mays, like those of the other cereals, contain a very small proportion of protein sol- uble in water or neutral saline solutions, a relatively large amount of protein soluble in strong alcohol, and a considerable quantity in- soluble in all neutral solvents but soluble in very dilute alkaline and acid solutions. An investigation of the proportions of these several proteins was made some years ago in this laboratory,2 and it was found that the sample of yellow corn meal then examined contained 5 per cent of zein soluble in strong alcohol, 3.15 per cent of protein soluble only in alkaline or acid solutions, and 0.45 per cent of globulins, albumins, and proteoses. The composition and properties of these different proteins have been extensively described by Chittenden and Osborne.3 Owing to'the very small amount of globulins and albumins, no attempt was made to prepare any of these for hydrolysis, but the zein and alkali soluble proteins were prepared in quantity from freshly harvested, high-protein, white maize, which was kindly sent to us by Professor Hopkins of the University of Illinois. We wish to here express our high appreciation of Professor Hopkins’ kind- ness in furnishing so large a quantity of these valuable seeds. After the seeds were dried until they became hard, they were ground to a fine powder in the laboratory mill and then extracted 1 The expenses of this investigation were shared by the Connecticut Agricul- tural Experiment Station and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, D. C. 2 Osborne, Journal American Chemical Society, 1897, xix, p. 525. 3 Chittenden and Osborne, American chemical journal, 1891, xiii, pp. 327 and 385 ; 1892, xiv, p. 20. [Front the Laboratory of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Stationi] 47 7-