ZEIN COMPOSITIONS OF MECHANICALLY SEPARATED COARSE AND FINE PORTIONS OF MAIZE KERNELS

Coarse and fine kernel portions from 24 maize inbreds (six grown in tw o years) and four hybrids were separated by grinding and sifting. Zein s from both portions of all genotypes were analyzed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and sodium dodecyl su lfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Results agreed, i n general, with those of a previous study in which endosperm separatio n was done manually, suggesting that endosperm fractionation can be do ne by mechanical means. Compositions of zeins, as revealed by RP-HPLC and SDS-PAGE, support the hypothesis that zeins help determine maize e ndosperm hardness.