نوشی منج یران لی و همکا، ده ازستفا ا پیشیو مایکروو تیمار درانه کدو پروتئین دمیز آنزی هیدرولی… 295 Research Article Vol. 20, No. 2, May-June 2024, p. 295-308 Using Microwave Pretreatment in the Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Pumpkin Seed Protein (Cucurbita maxima L.) by Alcalase and Investigating Its Antioxidant Properties Z. Nooshi Manjili 1 , A. Sadeghi Mahoonak 2 *, V. Erfani-Moghadam 3,4 , M. Ghorbani 2 , H. Shahriri Tabarestani 5 1, 2 and 5- Ph.D. Student of Food Chemistry, Professor and Assistant Professor, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food Industry, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran, respectively. (*- Corresponding Author Email: sadeghiaz@gau.ac.ir 3- Cancer Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran 4- Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Nanotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran Received: 12.06.2023 Revised: 06.12.2023 Accepted: 09.12.2023 Available Online: 09.12.2023 How to cite this article: 1 Nooshi Manjili, Z., Sadeghi Mahoonak, A., Erfani-Moghadam, V., Ghorbani, M., & Shahriri Tabarestani, H. (2024). Using microwave pretreatment in the enzymatic hydrolysis of pumpkin seed protein (Cucurbita maxima L.) by alcalase and investigating its antioxidant properties. Iranian Food Science and Technology Research Journal, 20(2), 295-308. (In Persian with English abstract). https://doi.org/10.22067/ifstrj.2023.82861.1264 Introduction Seeds and nuts have received increasing attention due to their nutritional value and the high therapeutic properties of their bioactive compounds. Most of the seeds are used as nuts, and some of them are considered agricultural waste. Pumpkin seeds have a high content of protein (30–40% in terms of dry matter). Proteins are among the vital health-giving components that provide nitrogen, essential amino acids and energy necessary for normal cells. Pumpkin seeds are a good source of amino acids such as valine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, threonine and methionine. Protein hydrolysate is a mixture of peptides and amino acids that can show antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic and antihypertensive properties. During hydrolysis, proteins are broken into small peptides and amino acids. Since enzymatic hydrolysis is performed in relatively mild conditions and no amino acid damage occurs, this type of hydrolysis is preferred over acid and alkaline hydrolysis. Hydrolysates obtained from pumpkin seed protein have bioactive properties, especially antioxidant activity. Pretreatment of proteins before enzymatic hydrolysis acts to improve the release of bioactive peptides from different proteins. Pretreatment can facilitate the unfolding the structure of proteins and thus increase the access of enzymes to peptide bonds. The main properties of microwaves usually show three characteristics: penetration, reflection and absorption. Microwave assisted enzymatic hydrolysis can shorten the time and improve the speed of the reaction. The purpose of this research was to investigate the antioxidant activity of pumpkin seed protein hydrolysates (Cucurbita maxima L.) by alcalase enzyme in two conditions: without pretreatment and using microwave pretreatment. Material and Methods In this study, Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima L.) was purchased from the local market of Astane Ashrafieh in Gilan province. The seeds were scooped manuallyand then dried in an oven at 50°C for 72 hours. After the production of protein concentrate from pumpkin seeds, the chemical properties of the concentrate, such as the amount of fat, protein, ash and moisture, were measured. The isolated pumpkin seed solution was exposed to ©2023 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source. https://doi.org/10.22067/ifstrj.2023.82861.1264 Iranian Food Science and Technology Research Journal Homepage: https://ifstrj.um.ac.ir