Optimization of Ultrasound-Assisted Protein Extraction from Watermelon Seeds: Taguchi Approach

Abstract

Nowadays, there has been a growing interest in finding alternative protein sources for both the food industry and nutritional purposes. Protein experts have recently focused on investigating watermelon seeds, which are not only a food processing waste but also contain high-quality proteins. Therefore, this study aimed to achieve maximum protein extraction from watermelon seeds using an ultrasound-assisted extraction process. The study investigated the effects of pH (A; 7─11), sonication temperature (B; 30─60 °C), and sonication time (C; 5─15 min) on protein recovery to develop a Taguchi model. Through optimization, the optimal conditions for maximum protein recovery (85.81%) within the range of process variables were found to be 11 pH, 45 °C sonication temperature, and 10 min sonication time (A3B2C2). An analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that pH and sonication temperature significantly influenced the protein extraction process (P<0.05). The optimized extraction conditions resulted in a remarkable improvement (56.79%) in protein recovery compared to the initial process parameters (A1B1C1). This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed extraction model for obtaining proteins from high-protein seed sources.