Enhanced Antioxidant and Digestive Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Pacific White Shrimp Shell Protein Hydrolysates via Conjugation with Polyphenol: Characterization and Application in Surimi Gel

Pacific white shrimp shell protein hydrolysates (SSPHs) produced using alcalase (UAH) and papain (UPH), and polyphenols (PPNs) conjugates were prepared using variable concentrations (0.5-3% <i>w</i>/<i>v</i>) of different polyphenols (EGCG, catechin, and gallic acid). When 2% (<i>v</i>/<i>v</i>) of a redox pair was used for conjugation, 0.5% (<i>w</i>/<i>v</i>) of PPNs resulted in the highest conjugation efficiency (CE), regardless of the polyphenol types. However, CE decreased further with increasing levels of PPNs (<i>p</i> < 0.05). SSPHs at 2% retained the highest CE when combined with the selected PPN and redox pair concentrations (<i>p</i> < 0.05). FTIR and ¹H-NMR analysis confirmed the successful conjugation of PPNs with the SSPHs. Among all the conjugates, EGCG conjugated with UAH (A-E) or UPH (P-E) exhibited the highest DPPH/ABTS radical scavenging, and metal chelating activities, respectively. The highest FRAP activity was noticed for A-E conjugate followed by UAH-catechin (A-C) and UPH-catechin (P-C) conjugates. The A-C sample (6 mg/mL) demonstrated the strongest inhibition efficiency against α-amylase, α-glucosidase, and pancreatic lipase (89.29, 81.23, and 80.69%, respectively) than other conjugates (<i>p</i> < 0.05). When A-C conjugate was added into surimi gels prepared from Indian mackerel (IM) and threadfin bream (TH) mince at various levels (2-6%; <i>w</i>/<i>w</i>), gel strength, and water holding capacity was increased in a dose-dependent manner, regardless of surimi type. However, whiteness decreased with increasing A-C levels. After the <i>in vitro</i> digestion of surimi gels, antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory activities were also increased as compared to the digest prepared from control surimi gels (added without A-C conjugate). Thus, waste from the shrimp industry in conjugation with plant polyphenols could be utilized to produce antioxidant and antidiabetic or anti-obesity agents, which could be explored as a promising additive in functional foods and nutraceuticals.