The purpose of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, functionalities and
antioxidant properties of the Bambara groundnut protein concentrate (BPC) and hydrolysates
(BPHs) prepared from defatted groundnut flour, using Alcalase with various degrees of
hydrolysis (DH) (10, 20 and 30%). The BPC and BPHs had high 62.75 to 66.83% protein
contents and contained high amounts of the essential amino acids leucine and lysine. The BPHs
exhibited excellent solubility over the wide 3 to 9 pH range, and the solutions had good thermal
stability (80ºC for 30 min) at various concentrations of NaCl (50 to 300 mM). The interfacial
properties of the BPC and the BPHs were governed by both concentration and DH. For the
antioxidant properties, DPPH radical scavenging and metal chelating activities of the BPHs
increased with DH (p< 0.05), whereas ABTS radical scavenging and reducing power were
decreasing with DH (p< 0.05). This study demonstrated that the BPHs prepared using Alcalase
provide functional peptides with antioxidant properties.