Antioxidant activities and functional properties of soy protein isolate hydrolysates obtained using microbial proteases

Summary Soy protein isolate ( SPI ) hydrolysates were prepared using microbial proteases to produce peptides with antioxidant activity. The process parameters (substrate and enzyme concentrations), hydrolysis time, functional properties and the effects of ultrafiltration were further investigated. The results showed that the soy protein isolate exhibited a 7.0‐fold increase in antioxidant activity after hydrolysis. The hydrolysis parameters, defined by the experimental design, were a substrate concentration of 90 mg mL −1 and the addition of 70.0 U of protease per mL of reaction. The maximum antioxidant activities were observed between 120 and 180 min of hydrolysis, where the degree of hydrolysis was approximately 20.0%. The hydrolysis increased solubility of the soy protein isolate; however, the hydrolysates exhibited a tendency to decrease in the interfacial activities and the heat stability. The SPI hydrolysates fractions obtained by ultrafiltration showed that the enzymatic hydrolysis resulted in samples with homogenous size and strong antioxidant activity.