title: Determination of epsilon-N-pyrrolylnorleucine in fresh food products.
abstract: epsilon-N-Pyrrolylnorleucine was determined in different fresh food products to study its presence as a normal component of food proteins. Twenty-two different products were screened: cod, cuttlefish, salmon, sardine, trout, beef, chicken, pork, broad bean, broccoli, chickpea, garlic, green pea, lentil, mushroom, soybean, spinach, sunflower, almond, hazelnut, peanut, and walnut. Foods were homogenized, their proteins were precipitated with trichloroacetic acid and hydrolyzed with 2 N NaOH for 20 h, and the epsilon-N-pyrrolylnorleucine content was determined by capillary electrophoresis. The epsilon-N-pyrrolylnorleucine, which was identified by HPLC/MS in sardine muscle hydrolysate, ranged in the 22 foods analyzed from 0.24 to 6.36 micromol/g. This concentration was correlated with the protein content of the food (r = 0.687, p = 0.00041). In addition, the epsilon-N-pyrrolylnorleucine/lysine ratio was found to be a function of the lipid, iron, and protein contents of the food (r = 0.881, p < 0.0001) and was directly correlated with lipid and iron contents and inversely correlated with the protein content. These results are in agreement with the oxidative stress origin proposed for epsilon-N-pyrrolylnorleucine and suggest that the epsilon-N-pyrrolylnorleucine/lysine ratio is a characteristic of each food. In addition, epsilon-N-pyrrolylnorleucine seemed to be a normal component of many fresh food products, in which it may be acting as a natural antioxidant.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de la Grasa, CSIC, Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zamora
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alaiz
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Hidalgo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002645:Chickens; D005399:Fishes; D005504:Food Analysis; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D009646:Norleucine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis; D009754:Nuts / Q000737:chemistry*; D013552:Swine; D014675:Vegetables / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: C095287:6-pyrrolylnorleucine; D009646:Norleucine