Proteins of pea seeds were isolated after defatting with hexane using alkaline (0.1 M sodium hydroxide) extraction and acid (HCl) precipitation. Concentrates were also prepared by hexane extraction and ethanolic extraction (pH = 5). Gross chemical composition amino acid content and functional properties (solubility profile, emulsifying--and foaming properties, water--and oil absorption) were studied. The results were compared with the same parameters of soy and lupin protein products. Although the majority of functional characteristics of isolates were lower in comparison to soy isolates, pea protein concentrate and isolate could be successfully used in bakery products for enrichment in protein and improvement of biological value. Their utilization as meat protein substitute in some Frankfurter type sausages is also possibly.

The authors' hypothesis is that the members of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) such as citrate decrease in association with increased ketone body formation. To prove this hypothesis the connection between ketone bodies and citrate formation of milk was studied. A fluorimetric method was used to determine citrate and a headspace sampling gas chromatographic (GC) method was developed for determination of ketone bodies. Under real conditions of milk sampling, transport and storage, preserved milk samples of 119 clinically healthy dairy cows obtained in the 48 hours after milking were investigated. A low level of acetoacetate (ACAC) was found in all samples. This fact can be explained by the spontaneous decarboxylation of acetoacetate during sample storage (previously decarboxylised acetoacetate = pdACAC) and, consequently, the majority of the amount of acetoacetate in the samples (AC+pdACAC) appeared in the measured acetone concentrations. Based on the measured acetone concentration of milk samples two groups were formed retrospectively: HA (high-acetone) group (n = 41) with an AC+pdACAC concentration of > 0.4 mmol/l and a LA (lowacetone) group (n = 78) with an AC+pdACAC level of ≤ 0.4 mmol/l. In the milk of cows of Group HA a positive correlation (r = +0.623) and linear connection between acetone (AC+pdACAC) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) levels was found [BOHB = 2.491 + 0.586 × (pdAC + ACAC)]. Furthermore, in this group a negative correlation between citrate and BOHB and AC+pdACAC was also established (r = -0.579). Focusing on the results of this group the authors found a significant drop of AC+pdACAC and citrate during the metabolically critical first 1-4 weeks of lactation. For this reason they suggest that simple, easy, automated methods (i.e. flow injection analysis, Fourier transformation infrared analysis) should be introduced for the simultaneous determination of acetone and citrate concentration in milk to make the evaluation of the energy status of highproducing dairy cows easier and more certain.

Five winter wheat cultivars--GK Othalom (HMW-GS composition 2*, 7+8, 5+10), Ukrainka (1, 7+8, 5+10), Palotás (2*, 7+9, 5+10), Ködmön (2*, 7+8, 5+10), and Csongrád (2*, 7+9, 2+12)--grown in Hungary and harvested in the year 2005 were studied. The biosynthesis of gluten-forming polypeptides was followed starting at the 12th day after anthesis to the 53rd. Fresh kernel weight, moisture, and dry matter content of fresh kernels and gliadin and glutenin contents were determined. Gliadin components, total amounts of HMW and LMW polypeptides, and individual HMW polypeptides were determined using a RP-HPLC technique. Although considerable quantitative differences were observed concerning the content of total protein, gliadin, glutenin, and individual gluten-forming polypeptides, the character of accumulation of protein components--determined on the basis protein mass/kernel--was the same for the all of the cultivars studied and could be presented by a sigmoid curve. Small quantities of the gliadin and glutenin monomers may be detected in early stages of kernel development, but the bulk of these proteins is synthesized in later stages of development. It is generally suggested by specialists that the formation and accumulation of glutenin polymers starts later than the synthesis of monomers. Experimental data presented in this paper confirm this suggestion and show that in the first phase of protein synthesis the monomers are in "free" form; polymeric glutenin is detected only later. HMW glutenin subunits are synthesized synchronously, and quantitatively the polypeptides coded by chromosomes D and B dominate.

Protein isolates were prepared by extraction with diluted NaOH (resulting the highest yield) and precipitation with HCl from lupin seeds grown in Egypt and Hungary. Protein content, amino acid composition, biological value and functional properties of isolates were studied. The proteins were high in lysine but relatively low in sulfur-containing amino acids. Good solubility and moderate emulsifying, foaming and gel-forming properties of isolates were observed. Enrichment of fruit- and vegetable-based baby foods with these isolates resulted in products with excellent organoleptic properties and moderate biological value. Additional enrichment with small quantities of methionine increased significantly the biological value without any negative changes of organoleptic characteristics.