Method of hydrolyzing defatted jojoba meal with protease enzymes

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention is directed to a new form of jojoba protein, namely hydrolyzed jojoba protein and derivatives thereof, as well as uses of such protein products in cosmetic formulations.
The preferred hydrolyzed jojoba protein and derivatives thereof in accordance with the invention comprise a mixture of amino acids, peptides and/or protein fractions derived from the hydrolysis of the naturally occurring jojoba protein.
Such hydrolysis is preferably carried out enzymatically, but if desired acid hydrolysis can also be employed.
In more detail, the hydrolyzed jojoba protein is typically in the form of a mixture having an amino acid, peptide and/or protein fragment molecular weight range of from about 75-5,000 with an average molecular weight of from about 1,500-2,500.
During processing, it is often desirable to membrane filter the hydrolysis products in order to segregate the peptides and/or protein fragments to achieve different molecular weight profiles.
In one such preferred method, a hydrolyzed jojoba protein product of relatively high molecular weight is provided, with a molecular weight range for the respective peptides and/or fragments therein of from about 1,000-5,000 and with an average molecular weight of from about 3,000-4,000.
Similarly, a lower molecular weight fraction (sometimes referred to as a jojoba amino acid fraction) is produced wherein the respective amino acids and peptides exhibit a molecular weight range of from about 75-1,000, with an average molecular weight of from about 100-300.
Although the hydrolyzed jojoba protein and derivatives thereof can be produced as a dry powder, this is sometimes difficult and normally the product is in the form of an aqueous dispersion containing jojoba protein or derivatives at a level of from about 18-35% by weight, more preferably from about 23-27% by weight.
As used herein, "derivatives" of hydrolyzed jojoba protein refers to changes in the structure of the individual amino acids, peptides and/or protein fragments produced by amino acid addition, deletion, replacement, substitution and/or modifications; mutants produced by recombinant and/or DNA shuffling; quaternized species; and all other chemically synthesized/modified forms of the individual amino acids, peptides and/or protein fragments which retain at least in part some activity of the initial hydrolyzed amino acids, peptides and/or protein fragments