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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Plant Polymer Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #233592

Title: Fingerprinting zein by IR analysis

Author
item Woods, Kristen
item Salch, John
item Sessa, David

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/1/2008
Publication Date: 2/1/2009
Citation: Woods, K.K., Salch, J., Sessa, D.J. 2009. Fingerprinting zein by IR analysis. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Zein, the dominant protein in corn, is a coproduct of the ethanol production industry. The protein content and purity of commercially available zein can vary widely depending on the source and production method. Infrared Spectroscopy Analysis (IR) was used to differentiate between zein samples of varying levels of purity. Several commercially available zein samples, along with those purified by different column chromatography methods, were studied using Fourier Transform (FT)-IR with a diamond ATR accessory. Consistent differences were found between the purified and commercial zein, with the most obvious differences evident in the ratio of the amide I (~1650 cm-1) peak to the peak at 1444 cm-1, along with the ratio of amide I to the peak at ~1244 cm-1. Another significant fingerprint is the ratio of the two main peaks in the amide II region. The ratio of the peaks in this region is strongly dependent on the purity of the zein sample.