Isolation of monosodium L-glutamate from chicken feather as a sweet sauce flavor

Abstract

Abstract Chicken feathers have a high protein content and glutamic acid that have the potential as a savory flavor (umami) in foodstuffs. The objective of this research is to isolate glutamic acid from chicken feathers to enhance the flavor of sweet sauce. Fifty grams of chicken feathers were hydrolyzed in 1000 ml NaOH 1.0%. The resulting hydrolysate underwent two treatments: 200 ml hydrolysate added with 100 ml keratinase 1% (P1) and 200 ml hydrolysate added with 100 ml pineapple extract (P2). Both treatments were incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes. A total of 300 ml products from both treatments were added to a mixture containing 750 g/l palm sugar, 25 g/l NaCl, and 37.5 g/l spices, then cooked for 10 minutes at 100°C. The resulting sauce was analyzed for glutamic acid content using HPLC method. The research indicated that 16.8% yield of glutamic acid can be isolated from hydrolyzed chicken feathers. Sweet sauce products P1 and P2 contain glutamic acid at 0.30% and 0.39%, and monosodium L-glutamate at 0.04% each. In conclusion, 16.8% glutamic acid can be extracted from chicken feathers and this product has proven to be suitable as a savory (umami) flavor enhancer for sweet sauce.