Dregea sinensis (D. sinensis) stems have traditionally been used as milk coagulant in Dali of Yunnan Province, China. In this study, proteomics was used to investigate the bio-functions of D. sinensis stem proteins, leading to the purification and identification of the milk-clotting enzyme. A total of 205 proteins mainly involved in the catalytic and metabolic processes were identified, of which 28 proteins exhibited hydrolase activity. Among the 28 proteins, we focused on two enzymes (M9QMC9 and B7VF65). Based on proteomics, a cysteine protease (M9QMC9) with a molecular weight of 25.8 kDa and milk-clotting activity was purified from D. sinensis stems using double ammonium sulfate precipitation and was confirmed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The milk-clotting temperature using the purified enzyme was around 80 °C (specific activity at 314.38 U/mg), and it was found to be stable in the pH range of 6-9 in NaCl concentration of <0.8 mol/L. These findings indicated that the enzyme isolated from D. sinensis stems has potential in the dairy and food sectors, especially in the cheese-making industry.
Keywords: Cysteine protease; Dregea sinensis stems; Milk-clotting enzyme; Proteomics; Purification.
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