Prolamins
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Prolamins are a group of plant proteins insoluble in water but soluble in 50-80% alcohol. They are characterized by high content of proline, glutamic acid, glutamine, and amidic nitrogen, with low or absent lysine, hydroxyproline, and glycocol. Found in cereal grains, they combine with glutelins to form gluten, which determines dough consistency. Examples include gliadin from wheat, zein from corn, hordein from oats, and others.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
Prolamins, a group of plant proteins insoluble in water, soluble in 50-80% alcohol. They are distinguished by high content of proline, glutamic acid, resp. glutamine, and amidic nitrogen, and low content or absence of lysine, hydroxyproline, and glycocol. In some of the P. (zein), tryptophan is also absent. They are found in cereal grains and together with glutelins form the so-called gluten, which determines the consistency of dough. The P. include gliadin from wheat grains, zein from corn, hordein from oats, zeocin from Euchlaena mexicana, sorghumin, kafirin, and others. In the animal organism, a protein similar to P. in solubility was found in milk—as an impurity to casein (Osborne).
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“Prolamins.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/prolamins/