Abstract:

Based on the goal of broadening the purpose of eggshell membrane (ESM) that is abundant in collagen and keratin, this study was carried out for investigating the effect of enzymatic treatment on ESM solubility and characterizing its hydrolysates. The optimal conditions for enzymolysis were obtained by single factor analysis as follows: alcalase concentration 0.2 g/100 mL, substrate concentration 5.0 g/100 mL, pH 9.5 and temperature 65 ℃ for a reaction duration of 2 h with stirring. The optimized process led to a trichloroacetic acid nitrogen solubility index (TCA-NSI) of 43.80% and a degree of hydrolysis of 11.54%. Furthermore, compared with unmodified egg membrane, the water absorption capacity, emulsifying capacity and the foaming capacity of modified egg membrane were improved by 1.30－3.03, 2.69－2.88 and 1.21－2.56 times, respectively.

Key words: eggshell membrane (ESM), solubility, function