Characteristics and Enhanced Antioxidant Activity of Egg White Protein Selenized by Dry-Heating in the Presence of Selenite

This study reports a new method for the selenization of food proteins. Egg white protein (EWP) was selenized by dry-heating in the presence of selenite, and the physiochemical and functional properties of the selenized EWP were investigated. Selenization was accelerated with a decrease in pH from 7.0 to 3.0, an increase in heating time from 1 to 5 days, and an increase in incubation temperatures from 25 to 80 °C. The electrophoretic mobility of EWP increased with an increase in the level of selenization. Heat-induced polymerization of EWP was promoted by dry-heating in the presence of selenite. The selenite group was acid-stable and base-labile, which suggests that it was bound to the hydroxyl group of an amino acid and formed an -O-SeHO2 linkage. (77)Se NMR spectral data also suggested that the selenite bond (-O-SeHO2) was bound to EWP. The digestibility of EWP was improved by selenization. The antioxidant activities of EWP, including ABTS(+) free radical scavenging capacity, hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity, reducing power, and the Fe(2+) chelating capacity, were remarkably enhanced by selenization. This finding is the first to describe that EWP can be selenized by dry-heating in the presence of selenite and that the antioxidant activities of EWP are markedly enhanced by selenization. This points to a potentially new method for generating antioxidant food protein and a new method for preparing organic Se.