Effects of Temperature on the Digestible Protein Content of Grains during Ripening in a Seed-protein Mutant Rice Cultivar LGCsoft

Abstract

The effects of temperature during the ripening period on digestible protein contents of the rice grains of a seed-protein mutant rice cultivar LGCsoft were examined. The plants were grown under a natural condition until the booting stage, and then in temperature-controlled greenhouses set at 24.0ºC, 28.0ºC, and 30.6ºC (mean temperature). The protein compositions and the protein contents of the rice grains were analyzed quantitatively. The protein compositions in the LGCsoft grains varied with the temperature condition. The ratio of the digestible to total protein was higher in high-temperature conditions, and that of difficult-to-digest proteins, especially 13 kDa prolamin was lower in high-temperature conditions. The protein compositions in a normal-type cultivar Nihonmasari, which was the original cultivar of LGCsoft also varied with the temperature. However, the effect of temperature on the ratio of the digestible to total protein was larger in LGCsoft than in Nihonmasari. The ratios of the digestible protein in the grains under 24.0ºC and 30.6ºC conditions were 74.3% and 81.3%, respectively, in Nihonmasari. On the other hand, they were 52.0% and 63.1%, respectively, in LGCsoft. In LGCsoft, the total protein content of grains was 70.6-72.5 mg g-1, and it was affected only slightly by temperature during the ripening period. Therefore, the digestible protein content of grains under 24.0ºC and 30.6ºC conditions was 36.7 mg g-1 and 45.7 mg g-1, respectively, in LGC soft. It was clarified that the digestible protein content was higher at elevated temperatures because of the increased ratio of digestible to total protein.

Keywords

• Digestible protein
• LGCsoft
• Oryza sativa L.
• Protein composition
• Protein content
• Seed-protein mutant cultivar
• Temperature