Optimization of Encapsulation Lemuru Fish Protein Hydrolysate Process by Spray-Drying Using Response Surface Method
Introduction
The increasing global interest in functional food and nutraceutical is driven by their significant health benefits. These foods, enriched with bioactive compounds, play a crucial role in enhancing nutrition, preventing diseases, and promoting overall health. A key contributor to development of functional food is the fishery industry, particularly in countries like Indonesia where fishery productivity significantly increased, from less than 4 million tonnes in earlier years to over 6.7 million tonnes in 2018 (1). Among the diverse marine offerings, the Lemuru fish, a species of small pelagic fish, stands out due to its significant contribution to Indonesia’s marine market. The nutritional profile of Lemuru fish, a species of small pelagic fish, is prominent; it is rich in high-quality protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and nutrients, making it an excellent candidate for the formulation of Fish Protein Hydrolysate (FPH).
FPH is characterized by their complex mixtures of low molecular weight peptides, which created through enzymatic hydrolysis, with breaks down proteins into smaller, more easily digestible fragments. The consumption of fish protein has been linked to the reduction of protein malnutrition, a critical global health issue that can affect brain development, immune function, and overall survival (2). These benefit makes a growth in food-protease industry as a nutraceutical market (3). Despite these benefits, FPH are unstable due to their high protein content. This instability leads to several challenges, such as susceptibility to oxidative degradation, limited shelf life, and the retention of undesirable flavors, which can significantly impact their use in food products. These issues highlight the need for advanced processing techniques like encapsulation to preserve the integrity and functional properties of FPH (4).
In recent years, the encapsulation of protein hydrolysates has been a subject of extensive research, employing diverse methodologies to optimize this process. Spray drying has emerged as the most common technique in the encapsulation of protein hydrolysates due to its ability to rapidly and efficiently convert liquid hydrolysate mixtures into stable powdered forms (5). Recent studies on protein hydrolysate encapsulation mainly focus on the effects of carrier type, concentration, and temperature using descriptive methods (4,6–8). However, there is limited research on optimizing encapsulation conditions at lower temperatures to enhance product quality and preserve protein hydrolysate. These approaches are crucial because of a more precise and scientifically grounded understanding of the encapsulation parameters, potentially enhancing the quality of the encapsulated product while mitigating the risks of thermal degradation and ensuring the preservation of sensitive protein hydrolysate.
This study aims to optimize the Lemuru FPH encapsulation process using a spray dryer set to a maximum temperature of 100 ℃. The focus on lower temperatures is driven by the need to preserve the integrity of sensitive bioactive compounds in FPH. By employing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Box Behnken Design (BBD), we evaluated the impact of carrier agent type, concentration, and inlet temperature on the encapsulation efficiency of Gum Arabic (GA) and Maltodextrin (MD) were selected as the liquid feeds due to their low viscosity and high solubility in water (9). The study’s goal is to identify the optimal encapsulation conditions that maintain the functional integrity of FPH, contributing to the functional food development field and introducing a new strategy for fish protein hydrolysate encapsulation.
