Proteolytic and Milk Clotting Activity of Fractionated Protein of Lagenaria siceraria.

ABSTRACT

The study was undertaken to evaluate milk clotting and proteolytic activity of protein fractions of seeds of Lagenaria siceraria. Protein fractions were isolated by the method of differential solubility, and their protein contents were estimated using Bio-Rad protein assay reagent and bovine serum albumin. The effects of pH and temperature on the milk-clotting and proteolytic activity were also evaluated. The isolated protein fractions showed highest milk clotting activity over a broad temperature range of 30-80 ºC and pH range of 3-9. Based upon the observations, milk clotting enzymes present in different fraction of proteins of Lagenaria siceraria are promising candidates for application in industrial scale for production of cheese and might be a potential substitute for commercial animal rennet.