Improved Solubility of Carp Myofibrillar Proteins in Low Ionic Strength Medium by Glycosylation

Carp myofibrillar proteins were glycosylated with glucose through the Maillard reaction (the early stage), and their solubility in various ionic strength media was investigated. To react with glucose, lyophilized myofibrils mixed with glucose (at weight ratio of 1:9) were kept at 40 °C and 65% relative humidity for 0−48 h. By glycosylation, myosin and actin became solubilized in low ionic strength media. The total solubility of myofibrillar proteins in 0.01−0.16 M NaCl increased with the progress of glycosylation and was almost equal to the solubility of 0.5 M NaCl. When 17% lysine residue in myofibrillar proteins was reacted with glucose, 61% myosin and 82% actin were solubilized in 0.1 M NaCl. These results indicate that water-soluble myofibrillar proteins can be prepared by glycosylation with the Maillard reaction.