Prolamins are a group of proteins that defined by their solubility in alcohol/water mixture. They are the proteins in wheat, barley and rye that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. Wheat, rye and barley prolamins are called gliadin, secalin and hordein, respectively.
Wheat contains two types of prolamins: the monomeric gliadin proteins and the polymeric glutenin proteins. Together, these proteins, being the major storage proteins of the grain endosperm, make up more than 75% of the total protein of wheat.
Traditionally, the gliadin fraction has been considered as the prolamin fraction of wheat protein, defined on the basis of its extractability in aqueous alcohol solution and its very high contents of proline and glutamine.
Glutenin has been considered as belong to a different protein fraction, the glutenin fraction, defined by its insolubility in alcohol solution and by its extractability in dilute acid or alkali.
Prolamins in wheat
