isolation and characterization of soluble proteins from moringa (moringa oleifera lam) seeds for possible use in food industries

Background: proteins are crucial for the functional properties and sensory characteristics of foods. this study aims to isolate and characterize soluble proteins from moringa oleifera seeds. methods: the seeds were defatted using chloroform, methanol, and water (1:2:0.8). protein isolates were prepared by aqueous extraction, 0.1m naoh precipitation, and 60% (nh4)2so4 precipitation. moreover, proximate composition of the dry seeds, and the protein yield, physicochemical properties, functional properties, and amino acid composition of the isolates were determined using standard methods. results: 100 g of dry seed contained 29.09±0.40 g proteins. the aqueous extract had the greatest protein content (73.0±0.5 g/100g), followed by naoh (54.0±0.2 g/100g) and (nh4)2so4 (45.0±0.3 g/100g). as a result, the aqueous extract showed a significantly (p<0.05) maximum in vitro digestibility (82.63±0.27g) after 6 hours. strong uv absorption at 280 nm was recorded for all the protein isolates. all essential amino acids were present, and phenylalanine was the chief amino acid (8.93±0.67 mg/100g in (nh4)2so4 fraction) which was significant at p<0.05. naoh and (nh4)2so4 fractions were most soluble at ph 10 which were significant at p<0.05. the naoh fraction had the peak foaming capacity (28.0±0.4%) at ph 10, and the most stable foam was observed in the naoh fraction after 10 minutes. significantly (p<0.05) elevated in the (nh4)2so4 fraction (32.0±0.6%), followed by aqueous extract (28.0±0.5%) at ph 10 was the emulsifying capacity. the (nh4)2so4 fraction had significantly (p<0.05) more water-holding capacity (2.80±0.04 g/g); the prime oil-holding capacity was also observed in the aqueous extract (3.20±0.02 g/g). conclusion: moringa oleifera seeds possess essential amino acids and functional properties beneficial for food systems, potentially enhancing value or developing new products.