Abstract:

The change of nitrogenous compounds in the seeds of peanut cultivar Bairihong (Arachis hypogaea L.) during
96 h of germination was investigated. The results showed that the protease activity of peanut seeds germinated for 96 h
was increased by 54.82 times as compared with that of ungerminated dry seeds and the degree of protein hydrolysis was
15.01% at the end of the germination period. SDS-PAGE pattern showed the partial disappearance or loss of conarachin
(50 - 66 kD) and acidic arachin (38 - 49.9 kD) together with the appearance of a series of smaller molecular weight
subunits. The total nitrogen content was not significantly altered, but the quantity of protein nitrogen fell by 15.88% with
a concomitant increase in the content of non-protein nitrogen (from 2.84 mg/g to 9.20 mg/g) after 96 h of germination.
The contents of limiting amino acids (Trp + Val), the ratios of essential amino acids and of sulfur-containing amino acids
to total amino acids and essential amino acid index (EAAI) increased with prolonged germination period, suggesting that
germination can significantly enhance the quality of peanut protein.

Key words: peanut, germination, protein, peptide, amino acids