Effect of 60Co radiation on structure and antioxidant activity of ovalbumin

By studying changes on ovalbumin(OVA) from eggs treated by radiation,the effect of radiation on structure and antioxidant activity of OVA were measured. The OVA were treated by 6 radiation doses 0,2,4,6, 8,and 10 k Gy,respectively. Ovalbumin extracted from fresh eggs with the method of ammonium sulfate precipitation.Solubility,free sulfhydryl conten,fluorescence spectroscopy,reducing power and DPPH radical scavenging of the OVA were determined. The results showed that with the increase of radiation intensity,free sulfhydryl contents,protein solubility,reducing power and DPPH increased. However,intrinsic fluorescence firstly increased and then decreased. When the irradiation does increased to 10 k Gy,intrinsic fluorescence was significantly lower than the control group. This study could provide the theoretical basis for radiated ovalbumin industrial applications.