Effects of High Hydrostatic Pressure on Technical Functional Properties of Edible Insect Protein

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of high pressure to investigate the technical functional properties of the protein solution extracted from an edible insect, Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis. High pressure processing was performed at 0 (control), 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 MPa at 35°C. The essential amino acid index of the control was lower (p<0.05) than that of the P. brevitarsis seulensis extract treated with 100 MPa. The SDS-PAGE patterns tended to become faint at approximately 75 kDa and thicker at approximately 37 KDa after high pressure treatment. The protein solubility and pH of the protein tended to increase as the hydrostatic pressure levels increased. The instrument color values (redness and yellowness) of the P. brevitarsis seulensis protein treated with high pressure were lower (p<0.05) than those of the control. The forming capacity of the protein solution with P. brevitarsis seulensis treated with high pressure was higher (p<0.05) than that of the control. In conclusion, we confirmed that the technical functional properties of edible insect proteins extracted under high pressure of 200 MPa are improved. Our results indicate that high pressure can improve the technical functional properties of proteins from edible insects.