Fish Products and Byproducts Technology

Unit 8 - Fish Protein Hydrolysate

8.2.3. Biochemical methods
Hydrolysing with added proteolytic enzymes
Proteolytic enzymes can be used to prepare the fish protein hydrolysate having the mixture amino acids and peptides.
Enzymes cleave the peptide bonds called proteases.

Based on the cleavage site proteases classified as

• Exopeptidase- Cleave the protein from the terminals
• Amino peptidase- Cleaves at amino terminal
• Carboxy peptidase-Cleaves at carboxyl terminal
• Endopeptidase- Cleaves the peptide bond within the protein molecule

It has been well documented that fish protein hydrolysates produced from fish processing waste and many of the under utilized fishes are possessing desirable functional and biological activities such as antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity

Advantages of using enzymes

• having the status of a natural substance
• high substrate and reaction specificity of biocatalysis
• mild reaction conditions and
• reduction in waste product formation

Source of enzymes
The enzymes can be from plant (papain, bromelain), animal (chymotrypsin, pepsin) bacteria (Alcalase, Protamex) and fungi (flavorzyme) sources. The digestive enzymes from animal origin can also be used.