Detection of polypeptides and amylase isoenzyme modifications related to malting quality during malting process of barley by two‐dimensional electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing with immobilized pH gradients

Two cultivars (“Alexis” and “Lenka”) of contrasting final attenuation values were malted, and the protein and amylase isoenzyme composition, as well as the change in protein and amylase isoenzyme composition during malting, was investigated by two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of total proteins, and isoelectric focusing of amylase isoenzymes, respectively. Isoelectric focusing demonstrated that significant differences exist between the amylase isoenzyme patterns of the two cultivars, suggesting a correlation between the presence of certain amylase isoenzyme bands and final attenuation. This finding was confirmed by analysis of 36 barley cultivars with a wide range of quality. It was shown that all cultivars which are of low or, at best, moderate final attenuation values exhibit the amylase band “B” (isoelectric point ≈ 6.8), whereas those cultivars which are predominantly of high malting grade do not possess this “B” isoenzyme band, but exhibit the pronounced “A” isoenzyme band (isoelectric point ≈ 6.5) instead, suggesting that these isoenzymes (which we suppose to be β‐amylases) can be utilized to predict the final attenuation values of unknown barley samples or new lines. However, “final attenuation” is a complex function. Preliminary results of two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis indicate that other factors, such as total amount of amylases, or a 19 kDa A hordein‐like polypeptide, which was degraded faster in the low malting grade cultivar “Lenka”, may also have a role in determining quality.