The Feasibility of Increasing Lipid Extraction in Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Waste by Proteolysis

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of increasing lipid extraction in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) waste using different enzymes and to minimize the periods of hydrolysis to evaluate the performance of the lipid fractions. When processing waste tilapia, commercial enzymes were added that were composed of neutrase and alcalase acting at different hydrolysis times to produce the best yields. The treatment proved feasible for obtaining the protein hydrolysates. The type of enzyme and the hydrolysis time determined the degree of fractionation. The enzymes performed well, and the highest efficiency occurred within 2 h of hydrolysis. By fractionating, the obtained by-products can be applied in the preparation of feed, as the lipid fraction treatments yielded significant amounts of polyunsaturated fats and suitable n-6/n-3 ratios.

KEYWORDS:

• Waste
• tilapia
• yield
• lipid fraction
• hydrolysis

Additional information

Funding

The authors would like to thank the “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior” (CAPES) for providing a doctoral scholarship and financial support for this work (Case No. 23038.051665/2009-04—Edital Ciências do Mar).