Effects of Proteolytic Enzymes on the Functionality of Chicken Egg Albumen

ABSTRACTS Albumen from eggs of a strain of White Leghorn hens was treated with various proteolytic enzymes (papain, ficin, protease, bromelin and trypsin) for 18 hr at 34°C. Following enzyme treatment the nonprotein nitrogen, measured as moles of tyrosine released per minute, was found to range from 1.1 × to 10 ‐3 4.8 × 10 ‐3 . All treatments were found to cause some changes in the electrophoretic behavior of albumen. The pH of enzyme‐treated albumen ranged from 6.2 (protease) to 8.4 (trypsin). Enzymatic treatment of albumen, with the exception of papain, improved angel food cake volumes from 3 .9%). In gcneral, enzyme‐treated albumen showed a 6–16% increase in foam volume; however, the foam stability was inferior compared to the control.