Antioxidant Activities of Protein Hydrolysates from Little Hairtail (<em>Trichiurus haumela</em>) of East China Sea

Abstract

This study investigated antioxidant properties of the little hairtail (<em>Trichiurus haumela</em>) protein hydrolysates obtained by commercial protease of <em>Alcalase</em> through using various antioxidant assays, including reducing power and free radical scavenging activities. The molecular mass distribution of hydrolysates was also examined to evaluate their relationship with antioxidant activity. The results showed that little hairtail protein hydrolysates had good ability to donate electron or hydrogen and scavenge DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radicals. The highest value of reducing power and radical scavenging activities was 1.89, 46.15% (DPPH radical), 75.65% (hydroxyl radical) and 82.5% (superoxide anion radical), respectively. The reducing power and free radical scavenging activities of little hairtail protein hydrolysates were related to hydrolysis time to some extent. The molecular mass distribution of hydrolysates showed that their molecular mass was between 337 and 6007Da, which indicated that little hairtail protein hydrolysates were mainly composed of low molecular peptides with antioxidant activity. Conclusively, the little hairtail protein was a good natural source for producing antioxidants, which could be used as antioxidant ingredient with potential applications in various food products.