Determination of optimum parameters for protein-isolation from krill (euphasia-superba) waste products

Abstract

Waste material obtained from the mechanical peeling of Antarctic Krill (Euphasia superba) was studied in order to evaluate its potential use as a raw material for the preparation of protein isolates. A dye‐binding method for determination of soluble protein was applied to krill protein and found to correlate well with protein values determined by standard Kjeldahl analysis. The effect of the following parameters on the solubility of protein was studied: pH, ionic strength, solid‐to‐solvent extraction ratio and time of extraction. Recovery of protein was studied in terms of influence of pH, simultaneous effect of pH and heat, and influence of coagulation time. Optimum conditions for extraction and precipitation of protein were therefore established.