Electrophoretic analysis of flour proteins from various varieties of wheat

Abstract Extracts ( O.IM ‐sodium chloride) of fifteen samples of flour, from six types of wheat, have been analysed by moving boundary electrophoresis. The gluten proteins and O.OIM ‐acetic acid extracts of the flours were also examined. Electrophoretic enantiography was quite good for all buffers used. Seven to eleven electrophoretic components were observed for the gluten protein extracts depending on the type of wheat and the extent of resolution. Analyses of the gluten and the acetic acid extracts from flour could be grouped into three categories typified by the Hard Red Spring wheats, the Hard Red Winter wheats and the Durum wheat. Considerably more material was extracted with O.OIM ‐acetic acid from flour than from gluten, including fast migrating (‘salt‐soluble’) and polysaccharide material. In general, patterns for the O.OIM ‐acetic acid extracts of gluten could be superimposed on the patterns for the O.OIM ‐acetic acid extracts of flour. The good reproducibility of the electrophoretic method was demonstrated by three analyses of glutens from a cake flour. Differences in component distribution were observed for the O.IM ‐sodium chloride extracts of flour when analysed in veronal buffer, at least ten components being observed. Greater amounts of slower migrating components were noted in the Hard Red Winter wheats and in the Club wheat than in the Hard Red Spring wheats. Flour samples, analysed in borate buffer, could be divided into four general groups on the basis of their electrophoretic patterns. No differences were observed in the electrophoretic analyses of proteins from bleached and unbleached cake flour.