Hydrolysis of Shrimp Cooking Juice Waste for the Production of Antioxidant Peptides and Proteases by Enterococcus faecalis DM19

The current increase in the number of wastes produced by the shrimp industry has generated the need to find new methods to valorize such materials as they can be an important source of bioactive compounds while preserving the environment. In this study, proteins from Pacific white shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei [ Penaeus vannamei ]) cooking juice (SCJP) were tested as a fermentation substrate for growth and protease production by the proteolytic strain Enterococcus faecalis DM19. This microorganism grew well and exhibited protease activity when cultivated in a medium containing only SCJP, indicating that the strain can obtain its carbon and nitrogen source requirements directly from shrimp waste protein. Also, the crude protease extract from Enterococcus faecalis DM19 was used to hydrolyze SCJP, and the antioxidant properties of the protein hydrolysate (SCJH) were investigated. The peptides and amino acids formed during the hydrolysis of shrimp waste protein are likely to be responsible for the antioxidant activity observed in this sample. The increased antioxidant activity of SCJH could be useful for the preservation of several products, especially in those cases in which oxidation processes are a limiting factor determining shelf-life. Graphic Abstract