Abstract:In this study, bovine bone marrow protein (BBMP) was extracted by the water extraction method, and alkaline protease was used to prepare BBMP hydrolysate (Bovine bone marrow protein alkaline protease hydrolysate, BBMP-AH). The amino acid contents of both BBMP and BBMP-AH were determined, and the structural characteristics, physicochemical properties, and antioxidant activities were compared and analyzed. The results showed that the protein content of BBMP-AH was higher than that of BBMP, and BBMP-AH contained higher contents of essential amino acids and hydrophobic amino acids. The UV and FT-IR spectra showed that both BBMP and BBMP-AH exhibited typical protein absorption peaks, and the protein’s secondary structure underwent significant changes after enzymatic hydrolysis. The examinations of physicochemical properties revealed that the isoelectric points of BBMP and BBMP-AH were around pH 6. When the pH was far from the isoelectric point, BBMP and BBMP-AH exhibited better physicochemical properties, whilst the physicochemical properties were significantly improved under acidic and alkaline conditions. Compared with the original protein, the highest solubility of the enzymatic hydrolysate increased to 94.40%, the emulsifying ability was 1.24 m2/g, the emulsion stability was 116.33%, and the water-holding capacity was 3.94 g/g, with a slight decrease in oil-holding capacity. The antioxidant activity of BBMP-AH was significantly stronger than that of BBMP, with both BBMP-AH and BBMP having relatively strong DPPH•, •OH, O2-•, and ABTS+• scavenging abilities and total reducing capacity. In summary, the enzymatic hydrolysis treatment could significantly improve the physicochemical properties of bovine bone marrow protein, increase its antioxidant capacity, and expand the development and application scope of bovine bone marrow protein.