Acoustically Enhanced Protein Isolation from Oecophylla smaragdina egg: A study on Extraction kinetics and Functional properties

Abstract

The growing global demand for protein necessitates the search for sustainable, nutritionally dense alternative sources. Red weaver ant eggs represent a promising edible insect source, characterized by a substantial protein content. The study was aimed to evaluate the influence of varying sonication parameters (amplitude: 10–50%; duration: 5–30 min) on the protein extraction kinetics of ant egg protein (AEP) using Ultrasound-Assisted Aqueous Extraction (UAE) and to assess the resulting functional characteristics of the optimized AEP isolate. Results suggest that UAE significantly improved protein yield. Optimal extraction conditions were determined to be 50% amplitude for 20 minutes, achieving a maximum yield of 29.93%, which represents a roughly four-fold improvement. Kinetic modelling confirmed that the Second-Order Rate Law provided the most accurate description (R² ~ 99) of the extraction dynamics, which are governed by accelerated mass transfer due to acoustic cavitation. The optimized AEP (US 50) exhibited significantly superior functional properties such as improved water and oil holding capacities, enhanced solubility, increased emulsion activity and stability and reduction in particle size.