High hydrostatic pressure effect in extraction of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF) from egg yolk and granule fractions

- High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) was used for extraction of 5-MTHF from egg yolk and granule.
- HHP-treatment at different pressure and time was applied on yolk and granule solutions.
- Optimum condition impacted the extraction of 5-MTHF and protein is determined.

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and centrifugation were combined to produce a 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-MTHF)-enriched extract from egg yolk. This study focused on the effect of HHP treatment (200-600 MPa; 5, 10 min) in extraction of 5-MTHF from egg yolk and granule. Specifically, HHP-treatment at 400 MPa for 5 min significantly (p < 0.05) impacted protein extraction and was the optimum condition for 5-MTHF extraction, with recoveries of 230 ± 2.7 μg/100 g and 1264.6 ± 61.4 μg/100 g from yolk and granule, respectively. The applications of HHP combined with centrifugal separation resulted in recovery of free 5-MTHF from granule which was 5.5 times higher compare to yolk. The optimal parameters of HHP at 400 MPa for 5 min improve 93% the recovery of 5-MTHF from non-soluble granule and convert it to a soluble state. Electrophoresis of fractions revealed that high-pressure treatment of yolk and granule at 200-600 MPa resulted in considerable solubilization of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL)-phosvitin, which may be due to disruption of hydrophobic interactions. High pressure can be used to further fractionate yolk and granule in the development of new biotechnological applications.Industrial relevance: HHP combined with centrifuge separation was used an efficient and eco-friendly process for improving the recovery of water soluble vitamin 5-MTHF extracted from egg yolk granule. HHP treatment at 400 MPa for 5 min was the optimum condition where a higher concentration of 5-MTHF separated from granule. This study shows promising results in relation to applications of HHP in improving extraction and recovery of bioactive components from egg yolk and the future applications of granules as an ingredient in the food industry.