Separation of peanut proteins by capillary electrophoresis

Peanut proteins have been extensively characterized by employing conventional methods such as low-pressure column chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. However, these methods are tedious and time-consuming and require large amounts of sample. In this study an attempt was made to test the suitability of capillary electrophoresis (CE) for resolving peanut proteins. Proteins and peptides were extracted from seeds, leaves, and cell cultures of peanut and resolved on a fused-silica capillary column using a UV detector. The CE separated peanut proteins into several major and minor components and required no major sample preparation steps. The data were consistent and reproducible. The results showed that CE is well suitable for obtaining excellent resolution of peanut proteins and peptides.