Food Chemistry
Zeinab Nooshi Manjili; Alireza Sadeghi Mahoonak; Vahid Erfani Moghadam; Mohammad Ghorbani; Hoda Shahiri Tabarestani
Abstract
IntroductionSeeds and nuts have received increasing attention due to their nutritional value and the high therapeutic properties of their bioactive compounds. Most of the seeds are used as nuts, and some of them are considered agricultural waste. Pumpkin seeds have a high content of protein (30–40% ...
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IntroductionSeeds and nuts have received increasing attention due to their nutritional value and the high therapeutic properties of their bioactive compounds. Most of the seeds are used as nuts, and some of them are considered agricultural waste. Pumpkin seeds have a high content of protein (30–40% in terms of dry matter). Proteins are among the vital health-giving components that provide nitrogen, essential amino acids and energy necessary for normal cells. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of amino acids such as valine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine and methionine. Protein hydrolysate is a mixture of peptides and amino acids that can show antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic and antihypertensive properties. During hydrolysis, proteins are broken into small peptides and amino acids. Since enzymatic hydrolysis is performed in relatively mild conditions and no amino acid damage occurs, this type of hydrolysis is preferred over acid and alkaline hydrolysis. Hydrolysates obtained from pumpkin seed protein have bioactive properties, especially antioxidant activity. Pretreatment of proteins before enzymatic hydrolysis acts to improve the release of bioactive peptides from different proteins. Pretreatment can facilitate the unfolding the structure of proteins and thus increase the access of enzymes to peptide bonds. The main properties of microwaves usually show three characteristics: penetration, reflection and absorption. Microwave assisted enzymatic hydrolysis can shorten the time and improve the speed of the reaction. The purpose of this research was to investigate the antioxidant activity of pumpkin seed protein hydrolysates (Cucurbita maxima L.) by alcalase enzyme in two conditions: without pretreatment and using microwave pretreatment. Material and MethodsIn this study, Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima L.) was purchased from the local market of Astane Ashrafieh in Gilan province. The seeds were scooped manuallyand then dried in an oven at 50°C for 72 hours. After the production of protein concentrate from pumpkin seeds, the chemical properties of the concentrate, such as the amount of fat, protein, ash and moisture, were measured. The isolated pumpkin seed solution was exposed to microwave energy with a power of 450-900 watts for 30–90 seconds and was used as a substrate solution in enzymatic hydrolysis experiments. It should be noted that after measuring the total antioxidantactivityr for different powers and times of microwave pretreatment, the power of 600 watts for 60 seconds was selected and applied before enzymatic hydrolysis. Enzymatic hydrolysis was done by alcalase enzyme with a concentration of 0.5 to 2.5% compared to the protein substrate during 20 to 190 minutes, and the optimum temperature and pH of alcalase were determined in order to produce hydrolysates with antioxidant activity. Antioxidant activity was measured by using DPPH free radical inhibition, total antioxidant activity and iron chelation activity methods. Result and DiscussionBioactive peptides produced by the enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins have significant antioxidant properties. Pumpkin seeds can be used as a rich source of nutrients and bioactive compounds in various food industries. The results showed that the maximum amount of antioxidant activity without pre-treatment was achieved in 165 minutes with a 2.2% ratio of E/S by using DPPH free radical scavenging activity (40.5%), total antioxidant power (0.79), and iron chelation activity (96.2%) methods. By using microwave pre-treatment, the maximum amount of antioxidant activity was achieved in a shorter time and with less enzyme (105 minutes and E/S ratio 1.5%) using DPPH free radical scavenging (52%), total antioxidant power (0.711), and iron chelation activity (93%). Therefore, it can be concluded that using microwave assisted enzymatic hydrolysis , in addition to achieving hydrolysates with proper antioxidant activity, is a suitable method to save time and reduce enzyme concentrations used in enzymatic hydrolysis.
Food Biotechnology
Zhila Ghasemi; Mohammad Alizadeh khaled abad; Hadi Almasi; Mehdi Nikoo
Abstract
Nowadays, probiotics have been seriously considered for their potential application in healthy food formulations. The most highlighted concern about probiotics is that the number of probiotic bacteria at the time of consumption may be lower than the required value (107 CFU/g). A new approach is the immobilization ...
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Nowadays, probiotics have been seriously considered for their potential application in healthy food formulations. The most highlighted concern about probiotics is that the number of probiotic bacteria at the time of consumption may be lower than the required value (107 CFU/g). A new approach is the immobilization of probiotic cells in the matrix of edible films. So in this study, edible carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) probiotic films containing Lactobacillus casei, and the silver carp muscle protein hydrolysates (SCMH) prepared by using limited Alcalase hydrolysis, were analyzed and the viability of bacterial cells was determined at 25, 4, and -18°C for 30 days. An alkaline solubilization/acid precipitation method was used to isolate silver carp white muscle proteins. Protein isolate (3%, W/V) was hydrolyzed with 5% E/S ratio (w/w) Alcalase at 50°C and pH 8.0 for 3 min. Briefly, films were prepared by dissolving SCMH and CMC powder (1.5%, w/v) in a ratio of 1:2 in distilled water and L. casei was added to a final concentration of 108 CFU/mL. Probiotics were counted at intervals of 1, 10, 20, and 30 day. The physical, mechanical [Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation at break (EB)], thermal and structural properties were determined. XRD patterns of the film samples collected by X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy of the film samples were recorded. The results indicated that the addition of SCMH significantly (p˂0.05) improved the L. casei viability at all three temperatures. Thickness, moisture absorption, and water vapor permeability (WVP) of the films were not influenced by addition of the probiotic. However, the addition of SCMH negatively affected the film’s mechanical properties. The FT-IR analysis confirmed the formation of hydrogen bonds between L. casei and the CMC matrix, the XRD and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses confirmed the plasticizing effect of SCMH on the films. Thus, CMC films containing L. casei showed the highest UTS (3.7 MPa) and EB (29.9%). Generally, the results indicated that the SCMH incorporated CMC-based film can be a good carrier for probiotics as bioactive food packaging system with promising potential for shelf life extension of perishable foods.
