Isolation and Characterization of Protein Fractions for Valorization of Sacha Inchi Oil Press-Cake

• Published in: Foods Vol. 12; no. 12; p. 2401
• Main Authors: Torres-Sánchez, Erwin, Hernández-Ledesma, Blanca, Gutiérrez, Luis-Felipe
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 17.06.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Agribusiness; Agricultural production; Amino acids; ATR-FTIR; biomass valorization; Byproducts; Circular economy; Climatic changes; Correlation analysis; Electrophoresis; Extraction procedures; Food; Food industry; Food science; Food sources; Food supply; Fractions; Industrial development; Molecular weight; Nutrient content; Oil; Plant-based foods; Plukenetia volubilis; protein extraction; Protein sources; Protein structure; Proteins; Secondary structure; Sustainable development; techno-functional properties; United States > US; Germany; SDS-PAGE; biomass valorization; ATR-FTIR; techno-functional properties; circular economy; protein extraction; Plukenetia volubilis
• ISSN: 2304-8158; 2304-8158
• DOI: 10.3390/foods12122401

The growing interest in plant-based food protein sources has provided opportunities for the valorization of agri-food by-products, driving the food industry towards more sustainable development. In this study, three extraction procedures (varying the pH value (7.0 and 11.0) and the addition of salt (0 and 5%)) were investigated to obtain seven different protein fractions (SIPF) from Sacha Inchi oil press-cake (SIPC), which were characterized in terms of their protein content, electrophoretic profile, secondary structure, and techno-functional properties. Extractions at pH 11.0 without salt addition produced the highest values of protein content, extraction yield, protein recovery, and protein concentration increase (84.0%, 24.7%, 36.5%, and 1.5-fold, respectively). Under these extraction conditions, the electrophoretic analysis indicated that most of the SIPC proteins were extracted. SIPF displayed an excellent oil absorption capacity (4.3-9.0 / ), and interesting foam activity (36.4-133.3%). The solubility and emulsifying activity of the albumin fractions were significantly higher than those of the other fractions (~87 vs. <15.8%, and 280-370 vs. <140 m /g, respectively). Correlation analysis showed that the secondary structure of the SIPF significantly influences their techno-functional properties. These results indicate that SIPC is a by-product of great potential for protein extraction processes, and as a valorization strategy for technical cycle solutions for the Sacha Inchi productive chain in the circular economy context.