Analysis of the emulsification properties of Jackfruit seeds protein

isolate
Introduction
Jackfruit seeds protein isolate (JPSI) is a promising novel food ingredient. It consists of proteins that are
isolated from the seeds of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.), a tropical fruit that grows on trees of
the Moraceae family. Jackfruit seeds are approximately 8-15% of the total fruit weight, and are a good
source of carbohydrate (67%) and protein (20%) (Zhang et al., 2019). Besides carbohydrate and protein,
Jackfruit seeds also contain many phytochemicals, for example lignans, isoflavones and saponins. These
phytochemicals have desirable biological effects on the human body such as antioxidant and antimicrobial
activity (Fraga et al., 2012). In the food industry, jackfruit seeds are often discarded as waste streams, and
are not used further. Therefore it would it be very sustainable to use these waste streams in a useful
manner (Zhang et al., 2019). In this research, the effect of JSPI is analyzed on the functionality of plant-
based drinks. Plant-based drinks, which are also called plant milks, are an alternative to animal milk. The
use of plant milk is studied for different protein isolates from different seeds and peels.

Previous research is conducted on the interfacial rheology study of JSPI, with the conclusions that JSPI
forms a solid structure at oil-water interfaces. Droplet size has been reported to increase due to the
emulsion being not stable. The aim of this research is to dive further into the emulsification properties of
JSPI.

Research plan

This research will be about jackfruit seed protein isolate (JSPI). Protein extraction from the seeds will be
carried out using the method of acid precipitation. The extracted JSPI will be analyzed at oil-water
interfaces and the emulsifying properties are studied. For the extraction of the proteins, first alkaline
extraction and then acid precipitation will be carried out. The starting material is jackfruit seeds powder.
Before the extraction, the powder is defatted using hexane. For the alkaline extraction, de-ionized water is
used and the pH is adjusted to 10 using 0.5 M NaOH. This is done to dissolve the soluble protein fraction in
the jackfruit seeds powder. The suspension is cold stirred overnight, for good dissolving. After alkaline
extraction the suspension is centrifuged. The supernatant is collected and the pH is adjusted to pH 4, to
precipitate the proteins in the supernatant. The precipitated supernatant is centrifuged again and the
proteins can be collected in the pellet of the acid precipitation. After this, the proteins are analyzed.
Solubility measurements and compositional analysis are carried out for the proteins. Solubility is
measured for the supernatant and for the pellet. For the compositional analysis sodium dodecyl sulfate-
polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) will be carried out to determine the molecular weight
distribution (Ulloa et al., 2017).

This protein will be used to make an oil-water emulsion, using 10% oil volume fraction to increase
surfactant concentration. After extraction of the proteins, the emulsifying capacity of these proteins will
be analyzed. The emulsifying capacity of plant-based proteins is low compared to animal proteins.
Measurements are going to be carried out with optical microscopy to determine the destabilization
process of the emulsion. Also zeta potential and surface hydrophobicity are important parameters for
emulsion stability. These values will also be measured and experiments will be carried out.

References
Fraga, C. G., Oteiza, P. I., Litterio, M. C., & Galleano, M. (2012). Phytochemicals as antioxidants:
chemistry and health effects.ActaHortic.
Ulloa, J. A., Villalobos Barbosa, M. C., Resendiz Vazquez, J. A., Rosas Ulloa, P., Ramírez Ramírez, J. C.,
Silva Carrillo, Y., & González Torres, L. (2017). Production, physico-chemical and functional
characterization of a protein isolate from jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) seeds. CyTA -
Journal of Food, 15(4), 497-507. https://doi.org/10.1080/19476337.2017.1301554
Zhang, Y., Zhou, X., Zhong, J., Tan, L., & Liu, C. (2019). Effect of pH on emulsification performance of a
new functional protein from jackfruit seeds. Food Hydrocolloids, 93, 325-334.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2019.02.032