Amino acid analyses of cereal flour proteins

Amino acid analyses have been made on flours of wheat, rye, barley, oats and maize. The overall pattern is sufficiently similar (particularly between rye and barley) to indicate a common ancestor, but significant individual differences occur. Wheat protein differs from the other four in its higher capacity for polar and H‐bonds and lower content of salt links. Other factors such as S.S interchange potential may be more important than the pattern of intermolecular forces since the latter does not change much from rye to barley in spite of their rheological differences. The factors for conversion of nitrogen to protein are, in the above order, 5.7, 5.8, 5.8, 5.7, 5.9.