Proteolytic specificity of chymosin on caprine α(s1)-caseins A and F

From hydrolysis experiments carried out on α(s1)-caseins A and F at pH 5.2 in the presence of 30 g NaCl/l, i.e. the conditions encountered in many young goats' cheeses, it was found that minima of 19 and 9 bonds were sensitive to chymosin in variants A and F respectively. Variant A was hydrolysed faster than variant F and the proteolytic pattern (reversed-phase HPLC and polyacrylamide agarose gel electrophoresis) differed between the variants. Hydrolysates from both variants had a number of cleavage sites in common (Leu20-Leu21, Phe23-Ala24 and Phe32-Arg33 in both variants, Leu101-Lys102 and Leu64-Lys65, Leu120-His121 and Leu83-His84, Leu142-Ala143 and Leu105-Ala106, Leu149-Phe150 and Leu112-Phe113, Leu156-Asp157 and Leu119-Asp120, Trp164-Tyr165 and Trp127-Tyr128 in variants A and F respectively), while other bonds were split only in variant A (Leu16-Asn17, Glu18-Asn19, Phe28-Pro29, Ile44-Gly45, Tyr80-Ile81, Gln82-Lys83, Tyr91-Leu962, Tyr94-Leu95, Leu109-Glu110 and Phe1769-Ser180). Major cleavage sites appeared to be at Phe23-Val24 Leu142-Ala143 and Trp164-Tyr165 for variant A, and Phe23-Val24 and Leu64-Lys65 for variant F. Cleavage site Phe23-Val24 could be the origin of the first breakdown product from goat α(s1)-caseins A and F visible in polyacrylamide agarose gel electrophoresis.