Abstract
In autumn before entry into winter dormancy there is accumulation of proteins in bark and inflorescence bud of Pistacia vera L. (pistachio). Their concentration is high throughout winter and they disappear in early spring. In winter when food in the desert becomes scarce it was observed that porcupines feed on the bark of the tree-trunk. This observation has raised the question of the biotechnological and nutritional quality of the bark proteins. We have purified a 32 kDa protein (IBP32) and a 27 kDa protein (IBP27), which are the major proteins in the bark and bud. These proteins were characterized as glycoproteins rich in glycine and alanine and are highly hydrophilic. Immunological cross-reactivity between dehydrin antibodies and the IBPs, sequence homology and amino acid composition indicated that these proteins are dehydrin-like and have a high proportion of a few essential amino acids.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 375-382 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Journal of Food Biochemistry |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jan 1998 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Food Science
- Biophysics
- Pharmacology
- Cell Biology