Enzymatic hydrolysis of microalgae proteins using serine proteases: A study to characterize kinetic parameters

Abstract Protein composition and molecular weight play an important role in the digestibility of microalgae proteins. In this study for the first time, proteinous materials of Dunaliella salina and Spirulina platensis were extracted and purified by fast protein liquid chromatography. Then, they are affected by trypsin and chymotrypsin as indicator intestinal enzymes. The results showed that the extracted protein from S. plantesis (ProS) was more rapidly hydrolysed than proteins from D. salina (ProD) because of their lower molecular weight and likely their greater flexibility and open structure. Also, the extent of hydrolysis by trypsin and chymotrypsin of ProS were higher and faster than ProD due to the more number of hydrolytic sites in ProS for both enzymes. The catalytic efficiency and k cat displayed that ProS were more suitable substrate than ProD for intestinal enzymes. The results exhibited that chymotrypsin can act better and faster than trypsin on peptide bonds of proteins.