Functional improvements in β-conglycinin by preparing bioconjugates with carboxymethyl cellulose.

β-Conglycinin was conjugated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) by using water-soluble carbodiimide to improve its function. Two kinds of CMC differing in average molecular weight (about 1 kDa and 90 kDa) were used to investigate the relationship between molecular weight of conjugated saccharide and saccharide content in the conjugates and degree of functional changes in β-conglycinin. The β-conglycinin-CMC conjugates were purified by dialysis using a dialysis membrane whose molecular weight cutoff is 100 kDa.