title: Relationships between conformation of beta-lactoglobulin in solution and gel states as revealed by attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.
abstract: Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR) has been used to compare the structure of beta-lactoglobulin, the major component of whey proteins, in solution and in its functional gel state. To induce variation in the conformation of beta-lactoglobulin under a set of gelling conditions, the effect of heating temperature, pH, and high pressure homogenization on the conformation sensitive amide I band in the infrared spectra of both solutions and gels has been investigated. The results showed that gelification process has a pronounced effect upon beta-lactoglobulin secondary structure, leading to the formation of intermolecular hydrogen-bonding beta-sheet structure as evidenced by the appearance of a strong band at 1614 cm(-1) at the expense of other regular structures. These results confirm that this structure may be essential for the formation of a gel network as it was previously shown for other globular proteins. However, this study reveals, for the first time, that there is a close relationship between conformation of beta-lactoglobulin in solution and its capacity to form a gel. Indeed, it is shown that conditions which promote predominance of intermolecular beta-sheet in solution such as pH 4, prevent the formation of gel in conditions used by increasing thermal stability of beta-lactoglobulin. On the basis of these findings, it is suggested that by controlling the extent of intermolecular beta-structure of the protein in solution, it is possible to modify the ability of protein to form a gel and as a consequence to control the properties of gels.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche en Sciences et Technologie du Lait STELA, Faculté des Sciences de l'Agriculture et de l'Alimentation, Université Laval, Qué., Canada.
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Allain
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Paquin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Subirade
mesh_terms: D005782:Gels; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007782:Lactoglobulins / Q000737:chemistry*; D011312:Pressure; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D012996:Solutions; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D007782:Lactoglobulins; D012996:Solutions