Isolation and partial characterization of a protease enzyme from Thaumatococcus daniellii waste

A protease enzyme was isolated and partially purified from the pulp of Thaumatococcus daniellii fruit by gel filtration on sephadex G-75 followed by ion-exchange column chromatography on DEAEcellulose. The enzyme showed a specific activity of 4.75 × 10-1 unit/mg protein and 6.93 × 10-1 unit/mg protein, respectively after each purification procedure. The purified enzyme had a Km and Vmax of 2.0 × 10-4 M and 1.53 mol/min, respectively, using casein as substrate. The enzyme had an optimum temperature of 35°C and functioned best at pH 7.0 with some residual activity at alkaline pH.Key words: Protease, isolation, characterization, Thaumatococcus danielii

Biological Evaluation of the Protein Quality Sponge Guord (Luffa aegyptiaca) Seeds

Objectives: The study was aimed at investigating the bioavailability of the crude protein of Luffa aegyptiaca dehulled seeds in albino rats, with a view of utilizing it as a protein supplement for animals or livestock feeds. Materials and Methods: The rats were fed for 28 days with diet prepared with Luffa aegyptiaca dehulled seeds and casein served as the control. Clinical performance of the test animals was determined. The faecal and urinal Nitrogen content were recorded. The True Protein Digestibility (TD); Biological value (BV); Net Protein Utilization (NPU); Net Protein Retention (NPR); and Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) were determined for the various diets used. Results: There was a significant difference (

Effect of osmotic diarrhoea on the protein nutritional status of rat

Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol.10(2) 2000: 113-11