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September 10, 2025Open Access

Isolation and Characterization of Soluble Proteins from Moringa (Moringa Oleifera Lam) Seeds for Possible Use in Food Industries

AAAli Abdulrahman AliUniversity of Maiduguri FBFatimah BubaUniversity of Maiduguri YTYahaya TijaniUniversity of Maiduguri

Key Points

Protein yield from moringa oleifera seeds is 29.09 g per 100 g of dry seeds, indicating high protein content.
Aqueous extraction yielded the highest protein content of 73.0 g per 100 g, significantly enhancing digestibility.
The study employed aqueous extraction and precipitation methods to isolate proteins, assessing their functional properties.
Moringa oleifera seeds' proteins may improve food formulations, showcasing their potential in food industry applications.

Abstract

Background: Proteins are crucial for the functional properties and sensory characteristics of foods. This study aims to isolate and characterize soluble proteins from Moringa oleifera seeds. Methods: The seeds were defatted using chloroform, methanol, and water (1:2:0.8). Protein isolates were prepared by aqueous extraction, 0.1M NaOH precipitation, and 60% (NH4)2SO4 precipitation. Moreover, proximate composition of the dry seeds, and the protein yield, physicochemical properties, functional properties, and amino acid composition of the isolates were determined using standard methods. Results: 100 g of dry seed contained 29.09±0.40 g proteins. The aqueous extract had the greatest protein content (73.0±0.5 g/100g), followed by NaOH (54.0±0.2 g/100g) and (NH4)2SO4 (45.0±0.3 g/100g). As a result, the aqueous extract showed a significantly (P<0.05) maximum in vitro digestibility (82.63±0.27g) after 6 hours. Strong UV absorption at 280 nm was recorded for all the protein isolates. All essential amino acids were present, and phenylalanine was the chief amino acid (8.93±0.67 mg/100g in (NH4)2SO4 fraction) which was significant at P<0.05. NaOH and (NH4)2SO4 fractions were most soluble at pH 10 which were significant at P<0.05. The NaOH fraction had the peak foaming capacity (28.0±0.4%) at pH 10, and the most stable foam was observed in the NaOH fraction after 10 minutes. Significantly (P<0.05) elevated in the (NH4)2SO4 fraction (32.0±0.6%), followed by aqueous extract (28.0±0.5%) at pH 10 was the emulsifying capacity. The (NH4)2SO4 fraction had significantly (P<0.05) more water-holding capacity (2.80±0.04 g/g); the prime oil-holding capacity was also observed in the aqueous extract (3.20±0.02 g/g). Conclusion: Moringa oleifera seeds possess essential amino acids and functional properties beneficial for food systems, potentially enhancing value or developing new products.

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