Hempseed Hydrolysates Exhibit Antioxidant Activity in Food Model Systems

It has been previously determined that many types of protein hydrolysates exhibit antioxidant activity due to their molecular weight and bioactive components. However, the antioxidant efficacy of hempseed hydrolysates when incorporated into food model systems remains unknown. It is pertinent to inhibit lipid oxidation in food systems to prevent quality deterioration, oxidative rancidity and a decrease in shelf life. The research objective of the first chapter was to determine the antioxidant efficacy of hempseed hydrolysates in an antioxidant screening and a nanoemulsion system. Four methods were performed to examine the antioxidant efficacy of various hempseed hydrolysate products and the most effective hempseed hydrolysates were then selected to incorporate into a nanoemulsion system. AHM10 and AHPI10 exhibited the ability to act as antioxidants through mechanisms such as metal chelation, hydrogen atom donation and single electron transfer. AHM10 and AHPI10 were then incorporated into nanoemulsions systems, and the primary and secondary oxidation products under accelerated oxidation conditions were quantified to determine the ability of these hempseed hydrolysates to inhibit lipid oxidation. Their applicability in food systems could be observed as they acted in a dose dependent manner to prevent lipid oxidation from occurring across a 7-day period. Overall, 0.5% AHM-10 and AHPI-10 was proven to be most effective and are applicable to inhibit oxidation in other food systems.

The second chapter of this research further allows for the observation of the previously selected hempseed hydrolysates to act as antioxidants in food systems, specifically in ground meat. Beef and turkey meatballs were prepared with the incorporation of AHM10 and AHPI10 at a selected concentration to observe their effect on oxidation levels across 14 days under refrigerated conditions. The quantification of primary and secondary oxidation products again allowed for the determination of hempseed hydrolysates’ ability to inhibit lipid oxidation. Moisture content, total lipid quantification and fatty acid composition allowed for a better understanding of the lipid profile of both meat systems. Sensory analyses were completed on day 1 and day 14 to determine the effect of hempseed hydrolysates on the organoleptic properties of the meat systems. The antioxidant efficacy of hempseed hydrolysates in food model systems was necessary to determine for their use as natural alternatives opposed to synthetic antioxidants such as BHA and EDTA.