Cereal Chem 43:195 - 206.  |  VIEW ARTICLE

Studies with Soybean Protein and Fiber Formation.

J. J. Kelley and R. Pressey. Copyright 1966 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Exposure of acid-precipitated soy protein to sodium hydroxide at high pH levels markedly increases its relative viscosity. This effect is accompanied by a rapid shift in the sedimentation constants of the 2, 7, 11, and 15S ultracentrifuge components to essentially 3S. The shape and magnitude of the viscosity curve is dependent upon the concentration of protein and sodium hydroxide as well as time, and is affected by reagents which influence sulfhydryl and disulfide groups. The effects of pH, urea, and mercaptoethanol on the solubility and ultracentrifugal patterns of acid-precipitated protein and the solubility characteristics of precipitated soy protein previously exposed to strong alkali were examined. The relationship of these data to the process by which acid-precipitated soy protein is converted to edible spun fibers is postulated.