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Lecture No. 8
Copyright © Mgr. Zuzana Široká, PhD.
PROTEASE INHIBITORS
• Occurrence: mainly in legumes, but also in potatoes, cereals etc.
• These inhibitors exist in food of animal origin too
• Serve as a protection of cytosole against undesirable proteolysis in damaged
tissues and against predators
• They are also storage proteins for the time of germination
• Two main types exist:
1) Bowman-Birk type:
- two binding places, block trypsin,chymotrypsin and other proteases
- in many foodstuffs: legumes, potatoes, soya, tomatoes, maize and other
cereals, tea, coffee, cheese, fish, meat etc.
2) Kunitz-type
- one binding place, block usually trypsin or chymotrypsin
- in soya beans
• They decrease growth, cause pancreas hypertrophy, depletion of digestive
enzymes with their new synthesis the organism loses essential
aminoacids from liver
• They can be destroyed or inactivated by heat
SUBSTANCES BINDING MINERALS
Phytic acid and phytates:
• They are storage form of phosphorus in a plant
• They are necessary for germination
• Phytic acid is a chelating agent, forms complexes
with Fe, Cu and Zn, and can bind enzymes too (e.g.
pepsin) – blocks absorption of these important
minerals and causes starch to be less digestible –
worse nutrition
• In every plant, but highest concentrations in cereals,
legumes, nuts and spices
• They are heat-stable
• On the other hand, they protect against cancer, one of
the breakdown products is inositol triphosphate,
which enhances natural killer cells activity
Oxalates:
• Bind Ca, make salts with it. These salts cumulate in
kidneys and can cause kidney stones
• Can cause a lack of calcium in an organism which leads
to disturbance of metabolism of bones
Glucosinolates:
• Occur in Brassicaceae, Resedaceae and Capparaceae
families mainly
• Vegetables as cabbage, turnips, radish, mustard seed
contain them in high concentration
• They are synthesized from aminoacids and contain
sulphur in their molecule
• General formula:
S --- glucose
R C
N O SO-3
-
Tofu 76 166
Soya sauce 8 5
Soya milk 18 26
Soya beans-cooked 138 230
Fresh soya beans 546 729
Soya burger 49 139
If you eat a tofu for your lunch, which weighs 100 g, your intake is 7600 μg of daidzein and
16 000 μg of genistein, which is 23,6 mg of isoflavones per one lunch.
TOXIC AMINOACIDS AND
PROTEINS
Haemolytic aminoacids:
• They are free aminoacids in Brassicaceae family plants
• It is S-methylcysteinsulfoxide (SMCO) and its precursor S-
methylcystein (necessary for cystein and methionin synthesis)
• High concentration of SMCO is in young tissues and represents
a storage reservoir of sulphur in an organism. Its production is
stimulated by adding fertilizers to soil
• Bacterial microflora in gut forms dimethyldisulfide form SMCO
• This needs glutathione to reduce. But glutathione is important
especially for red blood cells and their membrane
• If there is a lack of glutathione in an excessive intake of SMCO,
methaemoglobin is formed in unprotected red blood cells. It
settles on the surface of red blood cells forming so called Heinz-
Ehrlich corpuscles which in higher concentration damage the
membrane and cause haemolysis. It causes haemolytic anaemia
Lathyrogens:
• In Fabaceae family
• Vicia sativa, Lathyrus sativus and odoratus – vetch and
sweet pea
• Toxic are free aminocids – oxalylamino-alanin, cyano-
alanin and diaminobutyric acid
• In Northern Africa, form vetch and sweet pea flour is
made, when there is not enough other cereals
• The intoxication is called neurolathyrism and signs are
paresis and paralysis of legs, and other type is
osteolathyrism, for which a disturbance of collagen and
elastin metabolism is typical
• The effect of toxic lathyrogens is possible due to their
high similarity to common aminoacids, so they are
involved in their metabolism, which they disturb