Study on the Enrichment of Peptides in Wheat Germ by Microwave Combined with Metal Ions

In order to efficiently enrich wheat germ polypeptide, microwave combined with metal ions were used to treat wheat germ, and the effects of microwave power, microwave time, ZnSO₄ concentration, MnSO₄ concentration, and CaCl₂ concentration on wheat germ peptide content and protease activity were investigated. The process parameters were optimized by orthogonal experiment on the basis of single factor. The results showed that under the conditions of microwave power 400 W, microwave time 10 s, ZnSO₄ concentration 1.0 mmol/L, MnSO₄ concentration 1.6 mmol/L and CaCl₂ concentration 1.4 mmol/L, the polypeptide content in wheat germ could reach 228.85 mg/g, and the protease activity increased to 2268.40 U/g. Microwave combined with metal ions can significantly promote the enrichment of peptides in wheat germ.