Liquid/liquid phase equilibrium in globulin/salt/water systems: Legumin

Abstract
The effects of temperature, concentration and nature of neutral salts, pH, glycine and ethanol concentration on the liquid/liquid phase equilibrium in broad bean legumin/salt/water and pea legumin/salt/water systems was investigated. The coexistence curves have upper critical points. The shape of the coexistence curve was independent of the above factors. Gas theory and Kirkwood‐Fuoss theory for dipole‐dipole and ion‐dipole interactions were used to describe the systems. It is suggested that the value of the excluded volume of protein molecules, the energy balance of dipole‐dipole interaction between protein molecules, ion‐dipole interaction of protein molecules with low molecular weight ions, and the energy of thermal motion of protein molecules are the main factors of the investigated phenomenon.