Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the synergistic effect of ultra-high pressure treatment and papain hydrolysis on allergen elimination from the meat of Litopenaeus vannamei. Fresh Litopenaeus vannamei was homogenized after removing the head, tail, shell, and catgut. Three methods, ultra-high pressure treatment, ultra-high pressure treatment followed by papain hydrolysis and simultaneous ultra-high pressure treatment and papain hydrolysis were used to eliminate allergens from the Litopenaeus vannamei homogenate. Indirect ELISA was used to evaluate the results of allergen elimination and the optimal conditions for allergen elimination were explored. The results showed that the optimal conditions for allergen elimination by ultra-high pressure treatment were 200 MPa, 35 min and 40 ℃. Under these conditions, the optical density at 492 nm (OD492nm) after the reaction between antibody and treated Litopenaeus vannamei homogenate was 0.1986. The optimal conditions for ultra-high pressure treatment followed by papain hydrolysis were substrate concentration of 10 g/mL, hydrolysis temperature of 60 ℃ and enzyme-to-substrate ratio of 1:200, resulting in an OD492 nm of 0.0487. The optimal conditions for simultaneous ultra-high pressure treatment in the presence of papain were 300 MPa, 35 min and 40 ℃, which revealed an OD492nm of 0.0516. Based on the above studies, ultra-high pressure treatment is effective for allergen elimination from Litopenaeus vannamei, but inferior to ultra-high pressure treatment followed by papain hydrolysis and ultra-high pressure treatment in the presence of papain.

Key words: Litopenaeus vannamei, ultra-high treatment coupled with papain hydrolysis, allergen elimination, ELISA