Investigation of conformation change of glycated ovalbumin obtained by Co-60 gamma-ray irradiation under drying treatment

Irradiation can significantly improve the incorporation of glucose into protein. In this study, the efficacy on conformation change and glycation extent of ovalbumin (OVA) powder was investigated during Co-60 irradiation treatment. Spectrophotometer was used to monitor the conformation and structure change of glycation OVA under various irradiation doses condition. A dose dependent increase in UV absorbance and development of fluorescence was observed. Free amino groups content showed that up to 5 kGy irradiation could accelerate the glycation reaction between OVA and glucose, while there were inapparent differences among the other various doses. Intrinsic, synchronous and 3D fluorescence spectra showed that the glycation reaction caused the dynamic quenching of OVA and changed the polarity of the hydrophobic microenvironment (Trp and Tyr residues) of OVA with unfolding conformation change.