Agave Seeds: Physical and Chemical Characterization and Identification of Storage Proteins

Changes in the physical and chemical characteristics, isoelectric point and protein fractions due to variety and variant were evaluated in agave seeds. The results showed that protein and fiber are the major components of all agave seeds. The salmiana variant had the hardest seed, while higher breaking point were observed in A. atrovirens. The isoelectric point and proportion between protein fractions was different in all seeds. The protein of all the seeds showed similar electrophoretic pattern with mixture of components and conserved regions among genotypes of the same species. In conclusion, variant and variety showed influence on the characteristics of Agave seeds.