Physicochemical and antioxidant properties of bovine caseinate hydrolysates obtained through microbial protease treatment

It is currently possible to obtain bioactive nutritional components through enzyme hydrolysis under well-controlled and moderate conditions of pH and temperature. In this work, we aimed for the production and characterisation of bovine sodium caseinate (NaCAS) hydrolysates by means of an extracellular protease from Bacillus sp. P45. Antioxidant properties were evaluated through 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances assays. A glucono-d-lactone acid-induced aggregation and gelation processes of the hydrolysates and their corresponding mixtures with NaCAS were also analysed. Hereby, we demonstrate that the presence of hydrolysates affects the kinetics of NaCAS aggregation processes but does not significantly alters the final state of the acid aggregates obtained.