4.4 Protein Denaturation

Figure 4.12: Denatured Proteins in an Egg

When external stresses (e.g., heat, chemical treatments, etc.) are applied to a protein, the weak forces that preserve the protein’s structure and function are disrupted in a process called denaturation (which involves the loss of protein structure and function).

When an egg is cooked (like in figure 4.12), the proteins in egg whites become denatured. Ovalbumin makes up over half of the proteins in egg whites.

Figure 4.13: Denaturing Ribonuclease A via Guanidium Chloride

Like shown in figure 4.13, proteins can also become denatured (i.e., unfolded) after being exposed to a high concentration of denaturants - for instance, guanidium chloride (a chaotropic agent).

Protein denaturation was measured using circular dichroism in figure 4.13.