Abstract:In order to promote the development of the pigeon bone industry，the present study investigated the preparation technology of defatted pigeon bone meal.The defatting effects of four solvents （i.e.，ethyl acetate，isopropanol，anhydrous ethanol，and hot water）on boiled pigeon bones with meat shaved off were compared by the ultrasonic-assisted solvent defatting method.The optimal defatting solvent was screened out according to the defatting rate.A single factor experiment was designed to study the effects of ultrasonic time，ultrasonic power，and liquid-to-solid ratio on the defatting rate of pigeon bones.The defatting parameters were determined by the Box-Behnken response surface methodology，and the changes in color，nutritional composition，and amino acid content of pigeon bone meal before and after defatting were analyzed.The results showed that the optimal defatting solvent was isopropanol.As revealed by the response surface methodology，the optimal ultrasonic-assisted defatting conditions were as follows:ultrasonic time of 40 min，ultrasonic power of 225 W，the liquid-to-solid ratio of 8 mL/g，and the resultant defatting rate was 69.39%.After defatting，the nutritional composition changed，and the color was significantly improved.Moreover，the content of calcium and phosphorus increased，and the content of amino acid decreased but the types remained unchanged.Ultrasonic-assisted solvent defatting method largely preserved the nutritional composition and corresponding physical and chemical properties of pigeon bone meal，which provided a theoretical basis for the processing and production of pigeon bone by-products.