The degradation of cereal proteins as affected by the temperature and the duration of germination was studied systematically. For this purpose the proteins of non-germinated and germinated cereals were fractionated and quantified using a modified Osborne-extraction/HPLC-method. This provided a complete description of the degradation of total protein as well as single protein types during germination. The peptidolytic activity during germination was monitored by a screening method. Extracts of germinated wheat, rye, barley, and maize were used to degrade celiac-active peptides, thereby providing direct evidence for the first time that peptidases of germinated cereals can rapidly hydrolyse these peptides yielding fragments of less than nine amino acid residues, which are known to be not toxic to celiac patients. Thus, peptidases of germinated cereals were found to be as active as peptidases of bacteria or fungi.
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