Effects of carbohydrase pretreatment on protein extraction yield from defatted lotus seed flour

This study evaluates pretreatment with α-amylase, cellulase, and xylanase to optimize protein extraction from defatted lotus seed flour. In the first experiment, conducted at pH 5.0, 50°C, and 200 rpm, followed by protein solubilization at pH 8.5, α-amylase at 1,000 U/g achieved the highest extraction yield of 47.90%, compared with 39.60% for cellulase and 36.70% for xylanase. The second experiment showed that both the material-to-water ratio and treatment time significantly affected extraction yield, whereas their interaction was not significant. The optimal condition was a 1:20 ratio (w/v) for three hours, increasing protein extraction yield to 56.90%. The results demonstrate that α-amylase effectively disrupts the starch-rich lotus seed matrix, facilitating efficient and resource-saving protein recovery.