MODIFICATION OF PROTEIN HYDROLYSATES BY CHICKEN INTESTINAL AMINOPEPTIDASES

A b s t r a c t Protein hydrolysates are economically important value added products in the food industry. Hydrolysis of food proteins is practiced for the improvement of nutritional characteristics, retarding deterioration, removal of toxic or inhibitory ingredients and modification of functional properties such as solubility, emulsification, foaming. Treatment with exopeptidases is often adopted to improve the consumer acceptability and functional properties of protein hydrolysates. Organoleptic acceptability of casein and soybean protein hydrolysates increased after hydrolysis with chicken intestinal aminopeptidases leading to marked reduction in the bitterness scores (4.3 to 2.5 and 3.8 to 2.5 respectively). Treatment with aminopeptidase did not affect the functional properties of the products. Highly purified as well as partially purified (isolated mucosa) enzyme systems could be successfully used for modification of protein hydrolysates. The commercial significance of chicken intestinal aminopeptidases for improving the acceptability of protein hydrolysates is discussed. This poster paper won the Third Prize in Biochemistry & Nutrition, at ICFOST-2005, held at Bangalore, during December 9-10, 2005.