Hydrolysate of water soluble insect proteins and method for preparation thereof

A method for producing Maillard reaction products of an enzymatically hydrolysed water-soluble insect protein, the method comprising the steps of:

• a) providing an aqueous water-soluble insect protein composition comprising at least one water-soluble protein, preferably more than one water-soluble protein, wherein the pH of said composition is between pH 4 and pH 8 and wherein the at least one water-soluble protein in said water-soluble protein composition is solubilized, and further providing at least one peptidase;
• b) mixing the at least one peptidase of step a) with the aqueous water-soluble insect protein composition of step a), therewith providing a protein/peptidase mixture;
• c) heating the protein/peptidase mixture of step b) at a temperature of below 75° C. such that the at least one water-soluble protein in the protein/peptidase mixture is enzymatically hydrolysed by the at least one peptidase, therewith providing enzymatically hydrolysed protein/peptidase solution;
• and
• d) terminating the enzymatic hydrolysis in the hydrolysed protein/peptidase solution of step c) by heating the hydrolysed protein/peptidase solution at a temperature of between 75° C. and 110° C., such that the at least one peptidase is heat-inactivated by the heating, therewith providing the enzymatically hydrolysed water-soluble insect protein;
• wherein after step d) in a further step e) the enzymatically hydrolysed water-soluble insect protein of step d) is subjected to a Maillard reaction for the provision of modified amino groups in said enzymatically hydrolysed protein, the Maillard reaction comprising the sub-steps:
• e1) providing a carbohydrate and mixing the carbohydrate with the enzymatically hydrolysed water-soluble insect protein of step d), therewith providing an enzymatically hydrolysed insect protein/added carbohydrate mixture;
• e2) heating the enzymatically hydrolysed insect protein/added carbohydrate mixture of step e1), therewith providing Maillard reaction products of enzymatically hydrolysed insect protein.