Wongprasert Thanakorn, Bunyakanchana Thasorn, Siripitakpong Panattida, Supabowornsathit Kotchakorn, Vilaivan Tirayut, Suppavorasatit Inthawoot
Department of Food Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd., Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Phayathai Rd., Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Foods. 2023 Nov 5;12(21):4032. doi: 10.3390/foods12214032.
Crickets are known to be a promising alternative protein source. However, a negative consumer bias and an off-flavor have become obstacles to the use of these insects in the food industry. In this study, we extracted the protein from commercial cricket powder by employing alkaline extraction-acid precipitation and including ammonium sulfate. The physicochemical and functional properties of the proteins were determined. It was found that, upon including 60% ammonium sulfate, the cricket protein isolate (CPI) had the highest protein content (~94%, /). The circular dichroism results indicated that a higher amount of ammonium sulfate drastically changed the secondary structure of the CPI by decreasing its α-helix content and enhancing its surface hydrophobicity. The lowest solubility of CPI was observed at pH 5. The CPI also showed better foaming properties and oil-holding capacity (OHC) compared with the cricket powder. In conclusion, adding ammonium sulfate affected the physicochemical and functional properties of the CPI, allowing it to be used as an alternative protein in protein-enriched foods and beverages.
蟋蟀被认为是一种很有前景的替代蛋白质来源。然而，消费者的负面偏见和异味已成为这些昆虫在食品工业中应用的障碍。在本研究中，我们采用碱提取-酸沉淀法并加入硫酸铵，从市售蟋蟀粉中提取蛋白质。测定了这些蛋白质的理化性质和功能特性。结果发现，加入60%硫酸铵时，蟋蟀蛋白分离物（CPI）的蛋白质含量最高（约94%，/）。圆二色性结果表明，较高含量的硫酸铵通过降低其α-螺旋含量并增强其表面疏水性，极大地改变了CPI的二级结构。在pH 5时观察到CPI的溶解度最低。与蟋蟀粉相比，CPI还表现出更好的起泡性能和持油能力（OHC）。总之，添加硫酸铵影响了CPI的理化性质和功能特性，使其能够用作富含蛋白质的食品和饮料中的替代蛋白质。
