Effects of Enzymatic Hydrolysis Assisted by High Hydrostatic Pressure Processing on the Hydrolysis and Allergenicity of Proteins from Ginkgo Seeds

The purpose of this work was to study the combined effect of high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) and enzymatic hydrolysis treatment on the hydrolysis and allergenicity of ginkgo seed proteins (GSPs). Four food-grade proteases (papain, alcalase, pepsin, and neutrase) were used, and HHP (200, 300, and 400 MPa separately) was applied prior to hydrolysis. The extent of hydrolysis was measured with the o-phthaldialdehyde method, SDS-PAGE, and MALDI-TOF-MS, and the allergenicity was assessed with a Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results showed that HHP could significantly improve the extent of proteolysis by papain, alcalase, or pepsin and reduce the antigenicity of GSP, whereas neutrase showed poor effects at any pressure. Papain and alcalase showed the highest proteolysis at 300 MPa, followed by pepsin at 400 MPa, and all of the obtained hydrolysates showed molecular weights lower than 10 kDa; furthermore, papain or alcalase at 300 MPa as well as pepsin at 400 MPa reduced antigenicity by more than 95 %, and all of the immunoreactive bands disappeared in the obtained hydrolysates. These results suggest that HHP can enhance the hydrolysis of GSP by certain enzymes and reduce the residual antigenicity of the hydrolysates. The obtained hypoallergenic hydrolysates could be used as a source of peptides for food ingredients.