Enriching trace protein peptides from extract liquid with foaming deep eutectic solvent (FDES)-loaded effervescent discs

Snake shedding skin (snake molt) exhibits good potential for nutritional and functional applications, yet current methods for sustainable and efficient extraction of protein peptides from such an animal raw material are relatively limited. Herein, we reported novel foaming deep eutectic solvents (FDES) loaded effervescent discs for enriching target protein peptides in hydrolyzed extract of snake molt. Two kinds of natural sweeteners were used in the FDESs, which played an important role on foam stabilization and endowed FDESs with higher biocompatibility. After comprehensive characterizations, the discs exhibited good properties and expected forming performance. Under the ideal conditions, the effervescent discs enriched 91.40% protein peptides within 4 min, which was much higher than the alcohol precipitation method (40.12% within 3 d) and the aqueous two-phase system (80.67% within 1 h). Green assessment and scale-up experiments were also carried out for possible actual applications. Finally, the enriched product was analyzed by comprehensive physicochemical characterizations confirmed structural integrity and performance. The developed method offers a rapid, sustainable approach for obtaining peptides from natural products.