A Comparative Study of Different Precipitation Techniques for Protein Isolation from Cordyceps militaris: Effects on Functional and Structural Properties
摘要
This research compared three extraction methods (ammonium sulfate precipitation; ASP, organic solvent precipitation; OSP, and isoelectric point precipitation; IEP) to optimize protein isolation from Cordyceps militaris fruiting bodies for food applications. The ASP method demonstrated the greatest productivity, with a yield of 20.12% and a protein content of 78.90%. Moreover, it exhibited notable foaming capacity (95.33%) and stability (87.00%). It also showed significant solubility, with emulsion activity measuring 363.83 m²/g and emulsion stability lasting 26.17 min. The OSP technique exhibited significant solubility with a rate of 92.34%, as well as a considerable water holding capacity of 2.06 mL/g and oil holding capacity of 1.78 mL/g. The protein isolates showed major protein bands concentrated in the molecular weight range of 10–25 kDa, with additional bands observed outside this range under both reducing and non-reducing conditions. The FT-IR spectra revealed that the isolates had similar amide bands (amide I, II, and III), suggesting consistent protein secondary structures and molecular interactions. Microstructural analysis highlighted that the ASP and OSP isolates had smooth surfaces, but the IEP isolates displayed flakier textures. The protein isolates from C. militaris showed differences in their characteristics when extracted by different methods. Among these methods, ASP provided the best results for potential food applications.