Green clarification of Ruditapes philippinarum hydrolysate by freezing

Ruditapes philippinarum produces turbidity during hydrolysis, which may seriously hinder its further processing and utilization as a flavoring agent. In this study, the low-temperature crystallization properties of the oil components in the mixing system were combined with freezing flocculation to promote the aggregation, growth, and settling of the oil-peptide mixtures by ice crystal extrusion, which effectively solved the problems of secondary contamination and high cost associated with the traditional flocculation methods, while retaining the flavor of the enzymatic hydrolysate. The freezing process increased the contents of fresh, sweet, essential and total free amino acids in the supernatant by 1.94 %, 1.69 %, 1.45 % and 0.58 %, respectively, and these flavor amino acids optimized the flavor profile of the enzymatic digest. Freezing flocculation is a clean and sustainable flocculation technology that supports the sustainable development of the food industry and is in line with the trend of green production and environmental protection.