An autolytic process for recovery of antioxidant activity rich carotenoprotein from shrimp heads.

Studies were carried out to utilize in situ proteases of shrimp heads to recover carotenoproteins possessing antioxidant activity. Highest protease activity of the buffer extract was found at pH 8.0 (9.85 ± 0.61 units). The protease activity increased with temperature up to 50°C and reduced thereafter with highest activity being 19.32 ± 2.0 units. Thus, the autolysis of shrimp heads for recovery of carotenoprotein was carried out at pH 8.0 and at 50°C. Waste to buffer ratio had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on recovery of carotenoids in carotenoprotein filtrate with a maximum of 58.5 ± 6.4% recovery with a waste to buffer ratio of 1:2.5 (w:v). The carotenoid recovery increased significantly to 63.4% ± 3.6% at the end of a 4-h autolysis. The studies on combined effect of waste to buffer ratio and autolysis time indicated increase in protein recovery with increase in waste to buffer ratio but not with autolysis time. DPPH scavenging activity of the carotenoprotein isolate increased with autolysis time up to 100 min, and thereafter, reduced above 160 min of autolysis time. With increase in waste to buffer ratio, the scavenging activity increased, reaching more than 12.5 mg TBHQ equivalent/mg protein at waste to buffer ratio of 1:5. The optimum autolysis condition for obtaining antioxidant activity rich carotenoprotein from shrimp heads was found to be waste to buffer (pH 8.0) ratio of 1:5 and an autolysis time of 2 h at 50°C. The isolated carotenoprotein was found to have antioxidant activity with respect to singlet oxygen quenching, reducing power and metal chelating activity.