Antioxidant Assessment of Schizochytrium Meal Protein Enzymatic Hydrolysate and Its Potential Application

Schizochytrium meal protein (SMP) extracted from Schizochytrium meal was hydrolyzed by flavourzyme. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the extraction conditions for the protein extraction yield from Schizochytrium meal. 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (DRSA) was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of hydrolysates. The orthogonal test was used to investigate the effects of three independent variables, namely protease dosage, hydrolysis time, and pH. The optimum conditions obtained were as follows: protease dosage of 7%, hydrolysis time of 1.5 h, pH of 6, under which, DRSA at the concentration of 2 mg/mL was 89.38%. Aspartic and glutamic acid constituted approximately 26.32% of the total amino acids, and glutamic acid was the most abundant amino acid of Schizochytrium meal protein hydrolysate (SMPH) by amino acid composition analysis, which may have contributed to the scavenging activity of SMPH. Moreover, SMPH was made into chewable tablets with suitable formula and high humidity stability. These findings indicate that Schizochytrium meal can be reused as a raw material for preparation of antioxidant peptides.