Thesis: Sc. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, 1964 / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-58). / by Peter Gan Pin Lim. / Sc. D. / Sc. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Science

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Service, 1973 / Cataloged from pdf of print version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 73-76). / The rate of uptake of label from radioactive D-glucosamine and D-mannose into the plasma glycoproteins was studied in vitamin A-deficient rats by comparison with the plasma of normal pair-fed controls. Preliminary studies indicated that peak incorporation (specific activity) was reached three hours after intraperitoneal injection with labelled sugar in both vitamin A-deficient and normal rat plasma. Normal-deficient pairs were injected with the same sugar, labelled with a different isotope, and their plasma was mixed based on equal amounts of protein and fractionated on DEAE-Sephadex A-50. There was a consistent decrease m radioactivity observed m what appeared to be the alpha₁ peak in vitamin A-deficiency. This depression was on the order of 30%, when normal and deficient peak totals were compared. This effect appeared with mannose and glucosamine and was of equal magnitude for both sugars. Fractionation of this peak by gel filtration showed that most of the radioactivity was associated with one glycoprotein, which was homogeneous in 5% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; t.he molecular weight of this glycoprotein was estimated to be on the order of 1 x 10⁶ from its behavior on Sepharose 6B. The decrease in the incorporation of label into this peak was interpretted as representing a decreased synthesis rate in vitamin A-deficiency. A shift in the position of the peaks occurred on DEAE-Sephadex in two fractionations of glucosamine-labelled plasma. The vitamin A-deficient plasma glycoproteins were eluted slightly later than those from normal plasma, indicating either a higher negativity in deficiency or a lower molecular weight. This effect was not investigated. However, its failure to be expressed during gel filtration and its reappearance in electrophoresis suggested that charge differences were responsible for this shift. / by Timothy Charles Kiorpes. / S.M. / S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Service

Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Service, 1973 / Cataloged from pdf of print version of thesis. "February, 1974, i.e. Sept. 1973." Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 46-49). / The "osmotic shock" treatment of bacterial cells has proven to be an effective procedure for releasing hydrolytic enzymes located in the periplasmic compartment of the cell. It was the object of the present study to examine the mechanism of the "osmotic shock" procedure on the Streptococcus mutans strain PR-89 and the measurement of the acid phosphatase activity of the shocked cells. This enzyme could be a primary etiological agent in dental caries formation, and a simple me~hod of releasing-the enzyme would greatly facilitate the characterization of its properties. During the course of the study several important characteristics of the enzyme were observed. First, the enzyme activity increases linearly with the growth of the bacteria. Secondly, in the presence of inorganic phosphate the enzyme is observedly repressed. Finally, during the period of bacterial growth in minimal media supplemented with various concentrations of phosphate, the nature of the enzyme is constituitive. The "osmotic shock" procedure allowed a limited examination of the properties of the acid phosphatase enzyme produced by the Streptococcus mutans. However, the enzyme activity was not successfully separated from the bacterial cell to prove that it had been released. / by Michael Howard Fleisher. / S.M. / S.M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Service

Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, 1973 / Cataloged from PDF of print version of thesis. Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 174-184). / Previous work from this laboratory has shown that the uptake of labeled precursors into a single specific glycopeptide in the rat intestinal mucosa was depressed significantly in vitamin A deficiency (De Luca et al ., 1970). A very similar pattern to the intestinal glycopeptide pattern was obtained from the rat corneal epithelium; namely, the glycopeptide affected by vitamin A was eluted with 0.4 N LiCl solution by a stepwise column chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex A-50. A specific "peak S" glycopeptide eluted between 0.35 N and 0.42 N LiCl solution was found to be the most decreased (approximately by 50%) glycopeptide component by vitamin A deficiency when a new continuous gradient column chromatography of the same anion exchanger was employed. "Peak S" glycopeptide was further characterized by polyacrylamide (7.5%) gel electrophoresis and gas-liquid chromatography. The affected "peak S" glycopeptide was found to be rich in sialic acid, possibly as an end-sugar. Topical application for one hour in vivo of water-dispersible vitamin A palmitate to corneas of deficient rats resulted in a stimulation of glycoprotein/glycopeptide synthesis upon subsequent incubation in vitro. Upon fractionation of glycopeptide prepared from vitamin A-deficient control and deficient, vitamin A-treated rat corneal epithelium by DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column chromatography, the fraction eluted in 0.2 N LiCl solution showed a marked increase in labeling of 14c-glucosamine into glycopeptides. This stimulated fraction appears to consist of small molecules probably lacking sialic acid. The in vitro stimulation of glycopeptide synthesis in vitamin A-deficient corneal epithelium seems to be confined also to the 0.2 N LiCl fraction. Histologically, corneal epithelium, and particularly the mucus-secreting conjunctival gland showed a strong fluorescent response to fluorescent antibody made against the intestinal glycopeptide affected by vitamin A. / by Yang Cha Lee Kim. / Ph. D. / Ph. D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Science

Thesis: M.S., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, 1975 / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references. / M.S. / M.S. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nutrition and Food Science

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science; and, (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Chemical Engineering, 1983. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND SCIENCE. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-105). / by Louis J. Kacyn. / M.S.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science, 1979. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND SCIENCE. / Vita. / Bibliography: leaves 296-304. / Ph.D.

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science, 1972. / "June 1972." Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 55-56). / The functional properties (ease of cooking, thickening power, paste stability, etc.) of banana starch have been deduced by comparison of the cooking and cooling curves (obtained on the Brabender Amylograph) of banana, corn, tapioca, waxy maize and cross-bonded waxy maize starches. Banana starch has functional properties generally similar to cross-bonded waxy maize, except that banana starch pastes tend to cook more slowly and are much less resistant to breakdown under acid conditions. The -three banana starch samples examined were mixtures of small and large grains, plus some agglomerates. One sample was fractionated by a simple, air classification method. The smaller grains (25% of total by weight; 22 + 7 microns in the greatest dimension) and the larger grains 50%; 39 + 10 microns in the greatest dimension) had functional properties almost identical to that of the whole starch. The agglomerates (15%; clumps and fragments of wide size variation) had similar functional properties, but with reduced thickening power. About 10% of the starch was lost during classification. Banana "flour" (dried and finely ground, green banana pulp) contained 70%.starch and had functional properties remarkably similar to the isolated banana starch. This "flour" could possibly be substituted for isolated starch at considerable savings. Potential food uses for banana starch and banana "flour" are discussed, as well as the possible molecular basis for the unique properties of the banana starch. / by Eunice Marks Carson. / M.S.

Thesis. 1976. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science. / Microfiche copy available in Archives and Science. / Bibliography: leaves 121-127. / M.S.

Thesis. 1977. M.S.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Nutrition and Food Science. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND SCIENCE. / Vita. / Bibliography : leaves 72-76. / M.S.