**Yoseph Asmelash Gebru, Jun Hyun-II, Kim Young-Soo, Kim Myung-Kon and Kim Kwang-Pyo \***

Department of Food Science and Technology, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do 561-756, Korea; holden623@naver.com (Y.A.G.); dnrkrk@hanmail.net (J.H.-I.); ykim@jbnu.ac.kr (K.Y.-S.); kmyuko@jbnu.ac.kr (K.M.-K.)

**\*** Correspondence: kpkim@jbnu.ac.kr; Tel.: +82-63-270-2565

Received: 20 May 2019; Accepted: 7 June 2019; Published: 11 June 2019

**Abstract:** Data on variations in amino acid compositions and protein profiles among white and brown teff, a grain of growing interest, is either limited or contradicting at the moment. In this study, three white (Addis-W, Mekel-W and Debre-W) and three brown (Addis-B, Mekel-B and Debre-B) teff seed samples were used for whole flour amino acid analysis and protein fractionation with three different methods. White and brown seed types showed different physical changes during protein extraction. Brown teff displayed higher essential amino acid content than white with lysine present in high concentration in both seed types. Extraction with tert-butanol increased prolamin yields in teff compared to ethanol. The major protein fraction in teff was glutelin with white teff containing higher glutelin proportion than brown. Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis revealed clear genetic variability between white and brown teff seed types.

**Keywords:** protein fractionation; white teff; brown teff; amino acid profile; seed storage proteins; essential amino acids
