Silkworm Pupae for Production of New Liquid Seasoning I

Abstract

　In this study we aimed to use protease and chitinase preparations for the development of a new seasoning solution as a way to effectively utilize silkworm pupae. Seasoning solutions aged for 90 days contained sufficient amounts of total nitrogen for seasoning purposes; total nitrogen was 1.07 g/100 g in a seasoning solution with a protease added and 1.08 g/100 g in a seasoning solution with the protease and a chitinase added. Chitinase addition was inferred to increase the amounts of amino acids and peptides; formol nitrogen content was 0.62% in the seasoning solution with the protease alone added and 0.69% in the seasoning solution with the protease and chitinase added. The seasoning solution with the chitinase added contained about 1.2 times more free amino acids than the seasoning solution with the chitinase not added. The seasoning solutions from silkworm pupae contained taurine, which enhances hepatic function, and 4.2～5.0 times more alanine, a sweetener, than soy sauces. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity of the seasoning solutions from silkworm pupae was in the range of 80-98 μmol Trolox eq./100mℓ, which was 1.4 times higher than the radical scavenging capacity of soy sauces. The seasoning solutions contained 1.2～1.8 times more γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), in the range of 0.6～0.9mg/100mℓ, and were higher in functionality than soy sauces. The seasoning solutions from silkworm pupae were clear and light yellow in color tone and suitable for use in processed food.