Characterization of sacha inchi protein hydrolysates produced by crude papain and Calotropis proteases

Sacha inchi is widely used as a raw material in the edible oil industry. The de-oiled pressed cake has high amounts of proteins, which makes it highly desirable for industrial use due to their value-added products. The objectives of this study were to produce and characterize protein concentrate (PC) and its hydrolysates (PH) hydrolyzed by crude papain and Calotropis proteases. The proximate compositions of sacha inchi used in this study included protein 459, carbohydrate 361, fat 67, ash 59, crude fiber 58, and moisture 53 g/kg (wb). PC hydrolyzed by crude papain (PH-P) and Calotropis proteases (PH-C) had a degree of hydrolysis (DH) of 2.7% and 11.2%, respectively. PH-P contained a higher amount of essential amino acids (474 g/kg) than PH-C (410 g/kg). The protein pattern of PC and PHs were determined by SDS-PAGE, and the molecular weights were clearly observable between <8 and 57 kDa. The antioxidant properties, such as DPPH scavenging and FRAP showed a rising PH when increasing the DH. Sacha inchi protein hydrolysates can be produced in a cost-effective way by using crude enzyme extracts.