Proteomic profile of coconuts

Coconut proteins have attracted increasing attention due to their nutritional and potential health benefits, but there have been few proteomic studies on coconuts. The aims of this study were to generate a proteomic map and identify common coconut proteins in different species. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) was used to comprehensively analyze coconut proteins. Approximately 200 protein spots were detected on 2-DE maps of coconut samples from three different sources. The proteins were distributed in seven taxa (labeled a to g) according to their molecular mass. Taxa a, b, e and g contained common proteins, while taxa e and g were thermally stable and, therefore, may be considered characteristic of coconut products. Taxa a, b, d, e and g were subjected to MALDI-TOF/TOF-MS analysis. Taxa a, b and g were found to be homologous to 7S globulin. Taxon d was identified as glutelin, and taxon e was identified as a putative receptor-like protein kinase.