Abhilash Sasidharan, Sarasan Sabu, Turid Rustad
Introduction Lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus ) is a commercially important fish species, valued for its roe and its application as a cleaner fish in salmon farming. Wild caught lumpfish are primarily harvested for the roe. The rest of the carcass is generally considered as residual raw material and is usually discarded due to absence of consumer preference. Enzymatic hydrolysis can be used to extract and utilize the valuable proteins and lipids in the meat, and the protein hydrolysates and the lipids can be used for food or feed. The aim of this study was to produce fish protein hydrolysate from lumpfish meat separated from wild lumpfish carcasses. Materials and methods Three different enzymes (Alcalase, Endocut and Papain) were used for hydrolysis, and the efficiency of each enzyme was evaluated based on determination of yield, biochemical composition and properties of the resulting protein hydrolysates. Results and discussion Alcalase hydrolysis gave the highest protein yield (48%), and degree of hydrolysis (20%) followed by Endocut (24 and 17%) and Papain (34 and 14%). No significant variation was found in fatty acid profile of the oil separated after hydrolysis with different enzymes. Endocut hydrolysates exhibited the highest iron chelating activity (90%), followed by Papain (86%), indicating their greater potential for reducing oxidative damage caused by free iron. Alcalase hydrolysates showed significantly lower chelating activity (54%). The results show that enzymatic hydrolysis can be used as a sustainable approach toward valorization of meat from lumpfish, producing high yields of hydrolysates with valuable amino acid composition, and antioxidant properties.