Protein and nitrogenous base analysis in germinating seeds of Arachis hypogaea L (peanuts), Pisum sativum L (green peas), and Phaseolus vulgaris L (white kidney beans)

• Main Authors: Que, Sherwin O., Cruel, Lucio George S., Aranez, Jonathan A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1998
• Subjects: Protein; Legumes; Plant physiology; Peas > Seeds > Viability; Germination; Kidney bean > Seeds > Viability
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_bachelors/9798
• Institution: De La Salle University

This experiment involves the determination of the protein content and nitrogenous bases of certain legumes: Arachis hypogaea, L(peanuts), Pisum sativum, L (green peas) and Phaseolus vulgaris, L (white kidney beans). They were analyzed through the following procedures after 48 hours of initial germination: Total protein by Kjeldahl method; soluble protein content by Lowry method; organic matter and moisture content by Oven-dry method, and Purine/pyrimidine analysis. For moisture content, the increase in moisture per 12 hour interval was due to the additional twelve hour absorption of water in the original one gram of seed samples placed in the enamel tray. The decrease in organic matter composition occurred because of the hydrolysis of the seeds and the use of its reserved carbohydrates, fats and proteins for respiration. The fluctuation in total proteins of the legume samples during the length of the germination period was attributed to the decrease due to the utilization of some proteins for embryonic development, whereas the increase was due to several amino acids and nitrogenous compounds that increased during germination. The fluctuation of soluble protein content resulted to a highly significant change in the hour intervals because of the plant's protein metabolism, which undergoes a continuous state of flux between synthesis and breakdown. A nucleic acid flux was observed in the analysis of purine and pyrimidine due to the presence of nucleic acids, particularly RNA in ribosomes, where protein synthesis takes place. At the same time, the breakdown of proteins which caused increased of free amino acids and peptides. The addition of nucleic acids or of appropriate mixture of nitrogenous bases leads to increased enzymatic activity as a result of protein synthesis since inhibition of the latter also inhibits the activity of the amino acid residues which are later subject to exchange, performed by specific fragments of nucleic acids (Chepinoga, 1962). These results show that the legumes tested contained significantly high amounts of purines which may affect human health.