Vol. 25, No. 2 (2026), Bio26799 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Bio26799

Comparison of microwave-, ultrasound- and enzyme-assisted hydrolysis for producing antioxidant whey protein hydrolysates

 

Authors

M. P. Marín-Cortez, A. Robledo-Olivo, A. V. Charles-Rodríguez, R. M. Rodríguez-Jasso, S. González-Morales, A. Benavides-Mendoza

Abstract

Whey from asadero cheese, a byproduct with a high environmental impact (~9 L per kg of cheese), represents a strategic raw material for obtaining bioactive peptides under a circular economy approach. This study evaluated the generation of hydrolysates and their antioxidant potential using primarily microwave-assisted hydrolysis (600 W with a ramp to 60 and 80°C, and 15 min isothermal; and non-ramp assays comparing 600 and 900 W), as well as ultrasound (40 kHz; 15 min), and enzymatic hydrolysis (Aspergillus niger M4 extract; 35°C; 15 min) as reference treatments. After the treatments, the <50 kDa fraction was recovered, and relative TCA-soluble peptides content, expressed as tyrosine equivalents as an indirect index, and antioxidant capacity were measured by DPPH and ABTS reduction. The enzymatic treatment yielded the highest peptide concentration under mild conditions (T5: 1.28 mg Tyr eq/mL) with a 35% degree of hydrolysis, followed by microwave treatment at 600 W and 60 °C (T1: 1.19 mg Tyr eq/mL). The best antioxidant activity was observed with the microwave method at 900 W without a ramp, reaching 160 °C (T7), which achieved 71.5% DPPH inhibition. The results suggest, based on indirect evidence, that antioxidant capacity may be more strongly associated with the characteristics of the released peptide fraction than with its total content estimated as tyrosine equivalents.

Keywords

protein hydrolysates, enzymatic hydrolysis, microwaves, ultrasound, peptides.

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