Effect of Alcalase Hydrolysis Time on Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Protein Hydrolysate Extracted from Gryllus bimaculatus Cricket Powder

Humans are increasingly consuming insects as an alternative source of protein, with various products being developed to improve their acceptability. Insect protein extracts are becoming notable food ingredients, with a few studies investigating the functional and biological properties of proteins from different insects. This study determined the effect of hydrolysis time on the functional, chemical, and biological activities of cricket protein hydrolysate (CPH) extracted from Gryllus bimaculatus. The cricket powder was hydrolyzed using the enzyme alcalase at 4% w/w. The hydrolysate samples were collected at 20, 40, 60, 120, and 180 min and analyzed for many properties. The CPH obtained at 120 and 180 min had the highest degree of hydrolysis (DH) (84.42-84.78%), while the CPH obtained from 60-180 min hydrolysis had the highest yield (34.92-36.99%). Free amino acids increased over time. The CPH powder was highly soluble at pH 7 and had higher foaming ability and stability than the control, while the emulsion abilities of the CPH and the control were similar. The CPH obtained after 120 to 180 min of hydrolysis showed the strongest antioxidant activity analyzed using the DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS assays. CPH after 120 minutes of hydrolysis showed the highest ACE inhibition ability of 67.59%. The results suggested that CPH prepared by hydrolyzing cricket powder with alcalase for 60 and 120 minutes was suitable and showed potential as a protein source with high water solubility and good foaming ability for further non-food applications.