ISOLATION AND COMPOSITION OF AVIAN EGG YOLK GRANULES AND THEIR CONSTITUENT α- AND β-LIPOVITELLINS

The yolk granules from hen's egg represent on a dry basis 23% of the yolk solids, and they contain about 90% of the protein phosphorus, 95% of the iron, and nearly 70% of the calcium in yolk. Ultracentrifugal and other analyses on solutions of the granules show that they are 70% α- and β-lipovitellin in an approximate ratio of 1:1.8, 16% phosvitin, and 12% low-density lipoprotein. The properties and composition of the two lipovitellins isolated from the granules are the same as those isolated from solutions of whole yolk. Further purification reduces the protein phosphorus in α-lipovitellin to 0.50% and in β-lipovitellin to 0.27%, and this confirms that α-vitellin has a higher phosphorus content. Experiments at low temperature suggest that phosvitin exists in the granules as a high molecular weight complex.