Antioxidant activity of silkworm powder treated with protease

The antioxidant activity of silkworm powder treated by proteolytic enzyme was investigated. Total protein content of silkworm power was assayed using BCA, Bradford assays and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) with alkaline protease treatment conditions including temperature and pH. The optimum condition of alkaline protease treatment for silkworm powder was found to be 60℃ and pH 7. The alkaline protease treatment resulted in increased contents of free amino acids, total polyphenol and total flavonoid compared to control group. The silkworm hydrolysates showed excellent antioxidant activities in various in vitro models such as 2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, 2,2 - azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6)-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging activity. These results provide useful information for using silkworm powder as an ingredient in functional foods and for exploiting alkaline protease treatment to improve the extractability and bioactivity of a raw material.