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This ingredient is made from germinated wheat seeds, and we have found that even people that are wheat intolerant do not have a reaction to his ingredient when applied topically as in our Instant Eye Lift gel that removes wrinkles, lines and crows feet.
This particular page contains the technical information on how the germinated wheat hydrolyzate achieves the tightening and firming effect it has on the skin – and in so doing create the magical effect of removing wrinkles, lines and puffy baggy eyes.
If you wish to see some of the extraordinary examples of what can be achieved with our INSTANT EYE LIFT gel – please
click here.
To go to the Instant Eye Lift product page, please
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This vegetal protein hydrolyzate is combined with a bipolar polymeric agent and is an exciting new cosmetic ingredient with an immediate lifting effect that is far more long lasting than older types of molecules that were obtained from animal and fish sources.
This product is therefore also useable by strict vegetarians as no animal product is contained in this molecule.
The wheat hydrolyzate is obtained from organically growth seeds – using only water for germination and is totally free of pesticides and other chemical additives.
The “warehouse” of proteins within the seed – which required by the plant for the germination and growing phase, is extracted using the enzymatic hydrolysis that occurs during the normal germination period.
The extraction is done at precisely the moment when the hydrolyzate has the correct molecular weight, which will produce the required filmogenic effect – that is the effect of tightening and firming the skin. This period normally takes seven (7) days to achieve the maximum levels of active bio-molecules (peptides and amino acids) in the hydrolyzate.
The final extraction is an interesting mix of 8-14% protein as well as amino acids, which include:
- Aspartic acid 3.30%
- Glutamic acid 42.66%
- Serine 5.06%
- Glycine 3.47%
- Histidine 1.48%
- Threonine 2.45%
- Alanine 2.84%
- Arginine 2.96%
- Tyrosine 2.56%
- Valine 3.30%
- Methionine 1.31%
- Phenylalanine 4.89%
- Isoleucine 2.56%
- Lysine 1.31%
- Proline 11.55%
- Cystine 1.19%
These amino acids have the ability to form a salt and/or hydrogen bonds, which enhance the substance of the extract and its filmogenic effect.
The most important of these amino acids are: proline, serine, leucine, phenylalanine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid.
The molecular weight of the molecules is of major importance and the quantification of the molecular weight is ascertained using a high performance liquid chromatography in a molecular exclusion column.
Three separated molecular weight peaks are measures: 3.793, 1.827 and 335 daltons respectively. The first two fractions are 54% of the total hydrolyzed protein fraction.
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It belongs to the polymer group of N-vinyl pyrrolidones, which have a characteristic molecular weight between 10.000 and 70.000.
In solution, these polymers form instantaneous dipoles with a marked electro-positivity, which is the basis of the novel action mechanism of the protein hydrolyzate.
This germinated wheat protein derivatives has some very pronounced advantages:
of botanical origin have several advantages to be used as active compounds with tightening or lifting effects:
- It is of a pure botanical origin, which is renewable, biodegradable and environmental friendly
- It is a substantive ingredient as the protein hydrolyzate forms salt bonds, hydrogen bonds as well as the Van Der Waals forces that come into play, but is dependant on the composition and combination of the amino acids.
- The effect of such an ingredient is directly proportionate to the average molecular weight of the hydrolyzate and its aminogram.
- It forms a filmogenic effect – where the film forming capabilities help to tighten and firm the skin.
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Although all the above are very positive effects of a protein hydrolyzate, it can have drawbacks, such as a short duration of such an action, as well as causing secondary tacking (tackiness) to the skin.
These negative drawbacks have however been neutralized in our germinated wheat protein hydrolyzate, due to the electrostatic attraction mechanism among its components.
This novel component not only negates the negative drawbacks, but in actual facts y improves the tightening and firming properties, increases the duration of the lifting effect and also reduces the tacking effect.
The electrostatic forces emerge among the molecules in the different components of the germinated wheat protein hydrolyzate due to their bipolar nature.
The amino acids in the protein fractions have R side groups of different shapes, charge, size, chemical reactivity and ability to form hydrogen bonds.
The hydrogen bonds, consisting of an electro-negative atom plus a hydrogen atom (even when inter-molecular forces are weak) count among the bonds generating the highest dipolar character.
Furthermore, the resulting electrostatic interaction is one of the strongest because of the small atomic radius of hydrogen, which allows for very close proximity between molecules.
In the case of the peptidic bond, the covalent bond occurs between atoms having different electro-negativities and consequently, the electrons gather closer to that atom having a higher electro-negativity.
The outcome is that a part of the molecule has a partial positive charge (+) and the other part has a partial negative charge (-). Therefore these molecules are called dipoles and show electrostatic attraction among them.
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The polymeric agent re-orientates the positive charges in the protein fractions, as seen in the image above, in such a way that their final spatial arrangement locates them on the corneous layer building salt bonds (a different type of weak intermolecular forces), which stabilize this structure increasing the protein’s substantivity on the skin.
Additionally, the polymer coats the protein film on the skin thereby increasing the stability, as well as the filmogenic effect of the protein fraction and with this reduce the tacking effect.
The natural chemical bonds between the protein fraction and the polymer, as well as its behavior, have been studied by means of spectroscopic UV-Visible analysis and electrophoresis analysis.
The UV-visible spectroscopic analysis will demonstrate the interaction between the protein fraction and the polymer on the basis of the absorption spectrum observed for our protein hydrolyzate as compared with those observed for the protein fraction or the polymer separately.
The electrophoresis analysis demonstrates the global charge of the hydrolyzate and explains the behavior of R groups in the amino acids.
Matter absorbs radiation from different regions in the electromagnetic spectrum, which produces different types of interactions. In this case, ultraviolet-visible radiation produces the transition of an electron to a higher energy level.
Radiation absorption by systems is usually described by plotting that absorption as a function of the wavelength, called the absorption spectrum.
Absorption of UV-visible radiations may be correlated with the bond types and the functional groups in the protein hydrolyzate.
Absorption species exhibit absorption maximum (λmax) due to the excitation of bonding electrons, which allow identifying them.
Such absorption maximum may be used as a guide to the identification of functional groups.
Spectra were obtained with a Perkin-Elmer Lambda 5 UV/Vis spectrophotometer between 190 and 400 nm. Samples were diluted using MiliQ water in order to achieve a same protein concentration in every case.
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It has been proved that the polymer does not absorb significantly within the wavelength range used to obtain the spectra corresponding to the other components: protein and the germinated wheat hydrolyzate and does not exhibit any characteristic peak in that zone.
The results showed that the absorbance decrease of the protein in combination with the polymer, without any observable variation in the
λ-value corresponds to the absorbance maximum in the ultraviolet zone.
Such absorbance decrease demonstrates that:
- Protein-polymer interaction
- Coating of the protein molecules by the polymer
- Screening effect of the aromatic amino acid residues - responsible for absorption in the ultraviolet
They are basic properties, which allow the action of the germinated wheat hydrolyzate on the skin as a film coating.
Electrophoresis separation is based on the different rates, at which particles with different charges migrate within an electric field. Migration rate depends on the particle’s charge, the ionic strength, and the applied electric field and, in some cases, on the molecular size.
- Determination of protein concentration
- On the basis of the method sensitivity and the theoretic protein concentration in the sample, adequate volumes of the prepared solutions so as to apply 0.1 and 1 protein milligrams were used for electrophoresis. The sample volume required to observe electrophoresis bands is that volume theoretically supplying a protein amount of 1mg.
- Determination of the electrophoresis time
- Electrophoresis was allowed to run for 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. In every case, the applied sample amount was 1 protein mg. A 45 min electrophoresis run was observed to allow a clear identification of band mobility without diffusion being too important.
When samples were applied at the centre of the cellulose acetate strip, two electrophoresis bands were observed after revealing with Amide Black or Coomassie Brilliant Blue
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Results obtained with the protein sample demonstrate the existence of a band showing cathode mobility with 0.75 cm migration and another band at the application point.
The germinated wheat hydrolyzate sample also exhibits the existence of a band showing cathode mobility with 0.9 cm migration and another band at the application point.
That there are 2 major protein fractions, which actively contribute to the global protein charge (+) and to the interaction with the polymeric agent The polymeric agent increases the electrophoresis mobility and the charge of the more positively charged protein fraction.
The presence of the polymeric agent RE-ORIENTATES the protein fractions in such a way the major positive charged area interacts with the corneous layer (negatively charged) building weak bonds . The polymeric agent BLOCKS the negative charges of wheat protein, allowing the area with more positive charge to INTERACT with the skin surface. The polymeric agent acts forming a COATING FILM on the skin surface and LASTING the lifting effect.
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The above-described data explain the arrangement of our active germinated wheat hydrolyzate on the skin and its long-lasting tightening effect.
The protein fraction, which has a larger positive charge, is re-orientated by a mechanism of electrostatic attraction to the polymeric component and locates on the corneous layer, which has a global negative charge, interacting with it by means of weak bonds.
The polymer, which is naturally bipolar, also interacts with the negative charges of the protein, forming a coating film on the skin and lengthening the tightening effect of our active ingredient.
The cosmetic properties of our wheat ingredient are based on a re-orientation mechanism of the electric charges of its components, which allow a positive attraction to the skin thus achieving a long-lasting lifting effect.
With all of this in mind we have arrived at a product that:
Has immediate and perceptible tightening effect on the skin Has a long-lasting lifting effect Has a reduced tacking effect on the skin in comparison with older type molecules Is easy to use in formulations
Due to its optimized tightening properties, the ingredient is designed for use in cosmetic formulas:
Application areas would be face contour, eyes and lips contour, eyelids, puffy eye rings and bags under the eyes and can be made into creams, gels, serums, ampoules, or masks.
It is of special significance used on the face, eyes (especially wrinkles,
fine lines and crows’ feet), lip contour,
rings under the eyes, neck and bust.
Using the Kjeldahl method, starting with 2 g sample, performs determination of the nitrogen contents.
The obtained value multiplied by a factor 5.8 corresponds to the protein % in the sample.
- Sample preparation
- Acidic hydrolysis (HCl acid 6N) in autoclave. Derivation with OPA and FMOC reactants.
- Column
- Mobile phase
- Eluant A: Buffer acetate 20mM; Tetrahydrofuran 0,3%; TBA 0,010%
- Eluant B: Buffer acetate 100 mM 20%; MetOH 46%; Acetonitrile 34%
- Detection
- Fluorescence λ ex 230 λ em 455
- λ ex 266 λ em 306
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