This study investigated the effect of enzymatic pretreatment using cellulase and pepsin on the nutritional properties and phytochemical content of sesame cake. The results showed that the total phenolic content in the control sample and in the cellulase- and pepsin-pretreated samples was 49.6, 58.4, and 59.5 mg /100 g, respectively. The enhanced antioxidant potential observed in the enzymatically treated sesame cake samples indicates improved functionality, which may be beneficial for the development of bioactive-enriched food products. Pretreatment with cellulase significantly increased vitamin C and B 12 levels to 0.06 mg /100 g and 0.5 µM/100 g, respectively, and the folic acid content in this sample was also significantly higher than in the others. The carbohydrate content in the pepsin-pretreated sample was significantly higher than in the other samples, likely due to protein hydrolysis and the subsequent release of carbohydrates. Enzymatic pretreatment also significantly affected protein content, which was measured at 64.7, 61.9, and 45.6 mg/100 g for the control, cellulase-treated, and pepsin-pretreated samples, respectively. Overall, the enzymatic pretreatment of sesame cake significantly enhanced its nutritional and bioactive profile, including phenolic compounds, vitamins, pigments, and carbohydrates. These improvements highlight the potential of enzymatic processing as an effective strategy for valorizing sesame cake for food, pharmaceutical, and agricultural applications. Enzymatic pretreatment of sesame seeds with cellulase and pepsin enhances the release of proteins, carbohydrates, antioxidants, total phenols, and vitamin B9 in sesame cake. Cellulase targets cell wall cellulose, while pepsin hydrolyzes proteins, demonstrating their complementary roles in improving the nutritional and functional properties of sesame cake.
Abdehvand et al. (Tue,) studied this question.