Production of whey protein isolate hydrolysate fractions with enriched ACE-inhibitory activity

A study on the enrichment of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity in whey protein isolate (WPI) hydrolysate fractions is presented. A previously identified low molecular mass fraction (1 kDa permeate) of an enzymatically hydrolysed heat-treated WPI with elevated ACE-inhibition (IC₅₀ = 0.23 g L⁻¹) was subjected to cascade membrane ultrafiltration (UF) and diafiltration steps at lab-scale. Assaying for ACE-inhibition revealed that the 1 kDa retentate demonstrated the highest ACE-inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.17 g L⁻¹). Isoelectric focussing (IEF) of the hydrolysate fraction further increased ACE-inhibition in fractions collected within the pH range 6.1–6.6. Overall, both UF and IEF enriched the ACE inhibitory activity in the original fraction by ∼52%, demonstrating the potential for enrichment of bio-functional activities in enzymatic hydrolysates of whey proteins.     

Influence of degree of hydrolysis on functional properties, antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities of egg white protein hydrolysate

Functional properties, antioxidant, and angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of egg white protein hydrolysate (EWPH) prepared with trypsin at different degree of hydrolysis (DH) were investigated. The DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, lipid peroxidation inhibitory activity, and ACE inhibitory activity increased with DH at first and then decreased gradually. Hydrolysates with 12.4% DH had the highest antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities. As DH increased, the solubility of EWPH increased while the emulsifying and foaming properties decreased. The functional properties of EWPH were also controlled by pH. Ultrafiltration of the hydrolysate with 12.4% DH revealed that the fractions of molecular weight lower than 3 kDa exhibited the highest antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities. The results indicated that EWPH with different DH have different bioactive and functional properties and EWPH by controlled hydrolysis may be useful ingredients in food and nutraceutical applications with potential bioactive properties.     

Antioxidant properties of papain hydrolysates of wheat gluten in different oxidation systems

Enzymatic hydrolysis was used for preparing hydrolysates from wheat gluten which is by-product during production of wheat starch. The enzyme used for the hydrolysis was papain. The hydrolysate was separated based on the molecular weight of the peptides by membrane ultrafiltration (UF) with a molecular weight cut-off of 5 kDa into permeate (P) and retentate (5-K) fractions. The antioxidative activities of the hydrolysate and its UF fractions were investigated by using the TBA method and scavenging effect of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical. The three fractions showed strong antioxidative activities in the linoleic acid oxidation system, and exhibited DPPH radical scavenging activity. The antioxidative activity of the P fraction was almost the same as that of vitamin E at pH 7.0. The molecular weight distribution of the P fraction was concentrated in 4.2 kDa (86.5%) after gel permeation chromatography fractionation using an HPLC system.The P and 5-K fractions had higher surface hydrophobicities (H₀) at pH7.0 compared with the hydrolysate. The resulting UF fractions were superior to the hydrolysate in terms of antioxidative activities.     

Influence of degree of hydrolysis on functional properties,antioxidant activity and ACE inhibitory activity of peanut protein hydrolysate

Functional properties, antioxidant and Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of peanut protein isolate (PPI) and peanut protein hydrolysate (PPH) prepared using Alcalase, at different (10%, 20%, 30% and 40%) degrees of hydrolysis, (DH) were investigated. Hydrolysis (at DH > 10%) significantly (p < 0.05) improved the solubility (>80%) of PPI, especially in the pH range of 4–6. However, PPI showed better emulsifying and foaming properties than PPH (p < 0.05). As DH increased, ferrous ion chelating activity, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging activity and ACE inhibitory activity of PPH increased, while reducing power decreased (p < 0.05). Bleaching of beta-carotene by linoleic acid was suppressed better by PPI and PPH at 10% DH than of PPH at higher DH. Thus, the results reveal that DH affects functional properties, antioxidant and ACE inhibitory activities of peanut protein.     

ACE-inhibitory activity of tilapia protein hydrolysates

Fish processing wastes can be used for preparing bioactive peptides with various functionalities. Our objective was to evaluate the in vitro angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity of tilapia protein hydrolysates and its corresponding fractionates. Tilapia protein was alkali-solubilised at pH 11.0 and recovered at pH 5.5 to obtain a stable substrate. This substrate was hydrolysed using two enzymes, Cryotin-F or Flavourzyme, to 7.5% and 25% degree of hydrolysis (DH). The hydrolysates were ultra-filtered into three fractions: >30 kDa fraction, 10–30 kDa fraction, and <10 kDa fractions. Both hydrolysates and fractionates were tested for ACE inhibition. Results showed that both Cryotin and Flavourzyme hydrolysates with 25% DH gave maximum ACE inhibitory activity. Low MW peptides showed higher ACE inhibition than high MW peptides. The inhibitory activity of fractionates was lower than that of the corresponding hydrolysates, possibly due to separation and removal of synergistic peptides by ultrafiltration. Amongst fractionates, all the 7.5% DH Cryotin fractions and 25% DH Flavourzyme fractions exhibited optimum % ACE inhibition. The results of this research could be used for optimising enzyme parameters to obtain peptides from tilapia with optimum in vitro ACE inhibitory activity.     

Studies on purification and the molecular mechanism of a novel ACE inhibitory peptide from whey protein hydrolysate

This study sought to purify and identify a novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide from whey protein hydrolysed by trypsin. The peptide’s amino acid sequence, as well as the molecular mechanism of the interactions between the peptide and the ACE, were also studied. Using ultrafiltration, the hydrolysate was separated into three fractions. The fraction with molecular weight of <6 kDa had the greatest ACE inhibitory activity and was further separated by size exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-25 and G-10 columns. Reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was used to separate the most active fraction. The amino acid sequence of the peptide with the greatest ACE inhibitory characteristics was confirmed as Leu–Leu (LL). The molecular mechanisms, position, type, and energy of the LL/ACE interaction were investigated by using flexible molecule docking technology.     

Purification,Identification, and In Vivo Activity of Angiotensin I‐Converting Enzyme Inhibitory Peptide,from Ribbonfish (Trichiurus haumela) Backbone

Ribbonfish (Trichiurus haumela) backbone is normally discarded as an industrial waste from fish processing. A method of developing angiotensin I‐converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) peptides from ribbonfish backbone was previously optimized. The purposes of the study were to characterize the active peptides in the hydrolysate and to evaluate its in vivo activity. Ribbonfish backbone protein hydrolysate prepared by acid protease was fractionated into 4 fractions (I, MW < 1 kDa; II, MW = 1 to 5 kDa; III, MW = 5 to 10 kDa; and IV, MW > 10 kDa) through ultrafiltration membranes. Fraction I, showing the highest ACEI activity, was further purified using consecutive chromatographic techniques including gel filtration and reversed phase high‐performance liquid chromatography. The purified ACE inhibitory peptide was determined to have a molecular weight of 317.25 Da, with a sequence of Leu‐Trp and an IC₅₀ value of 5.6 μM. Systolic blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats was significantly decreased from 181 ± 2.0 to 161.3 ± 2.3 mm Hg after 4 h of oral administration of Leu‐Trp at a dose of 10 mg/kg of body weight. These results indicated that ribbonfish backbone protein could be used for development of antihypertensive agent.     

A novel angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitory peptide from tuna frame protein hydrolysate and its antihypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Tuna frame protein was hydrolysed using Alcalase, Neutrase, pepsin, papain, α-chymotrypsin and trypsin. Peptic hydrolysate exhibited the highest ACE I inhibitory activity among them and was fractionated into three ranges of molecular weight (below 1, 1–5 and 5–10 kDa) using an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor system. The 1–5 kDa fraction showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity and was used for subsequent purification steps. During consecutive purification, a potent ACE inhibitory peptide from tuna frame protein (PTFP), which was composed of 21 amino acids, Gly-Asp-Leu-Gly-Lys-Thr-Thr-Thr-Val-Ser-Asn-Trp-Ser-Pro-Pro-Lys-Try-Lys-Asp-Thr-Pro (MW: 2,482 Da, IC₅₀: 11.28 μm), was isolated. Lineweaver–Burk plots suggest that PTFP plays as a non-competitive inhibitor against ACE. Furthermore, antihypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) also revealed that oral administration of PTFP can decrease systolic blood pressure significantly (P < 0.01). These results suggest that the PTFP would be a beneficial ingredient for nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals against hypertension and its related diseases.     

Molecular Weight Affected Antioxidant,Hypoglycemic and Hypotensive Activities of Cold Water Extract from Pleurotus citrinopileatus

Cold water extract of P. citrinopileatus (CWEPC) was fractioned into 4 fractions, PC‐I (<1 kDa), PC‐II (1‐3.5 kDa), PC‐III (3.5‐10 kDa), and PC‐IV (>10 kDa), by ultrafiltration. The antioxidant activities, the inhibition of pancreatic α‐amylase, intestinal α‐glucosidase, and hypertension‐linked angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), as well as the contents of polysaccharides, protein, and phenolic compounds of 4 fractions were determined. The results showed that lower MW fractions exerted a higher antioxidant activity, which was correlated to phenolic contents. The high molecular fraction (PC‐IV) exhibited significantly higher inhibitory activity on α‐amylase, α‐glucosidase, and ACE compared to CWEPC and the other 3 lower MW fractions (<10 kDa), which was more related to protein contents. The inhibition capability of CWEPC and PC‐IV on α‐amylase activity was 1/13.4 to 1/2.7 relative to that of acarbose, respectively. Kinetic data revealed that PC‐IV fraction followed a noncompetitive inhibition pattern on α‐glucosidase activity. The study demonstrated that various MW fractions and types of components contribute to different biological functions of P. citrinopileatus and it is protein constituents but not peptides responsible for the hypoglycemic potential of CWEPC.     

Functional properties and Angiotensin-I converting enzyme inhibitory activity of soy–whey proteins and fractions

Soy proteins when prepared to high purity can confer good functional properties and the whey by-product is a potential source for bioactivity. In this study, we determined the protein, moisture, fiber, solubility, foaming, emulsion properties, as well as Angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE-I) inhibitory activity of prepared soy–whey proteins and its fractions. The soy–whey proteins were fractionated into < 5, > 5, > 10, and > 50 kDa using ultrafiltration. The expanded AACC methods were used to determine protein, moisture, and fiber analyses of the whey and its fractions. Solubility method was conducted to determine the protein solubility profile of the soy–whey and its fractions at varying pHs. Turbidimetric method was used to evaluate emulsifying activity (EA) and emulsion stability (ES). There were significant differences observed in moisture, protein and salt contents between unfractionated, > 50 kDa and smaller sized fractions. No significant differences were observed with phytic acid and total dietary fiber contents among all samples. The unfractionated whey protein and > 50 kDa fraction showed better solubility than other fractions. Unfractionated whey protein had the highest foam capacity (42.7 mL) while the fraction > 5 kDa showed the greatest foaming stability (46 min). The highest emulsion activity (0.33 ± 0.1) and stability (825.1 ± 45.1) was obtained with the > 50 kDa fraction while the unfractionated whey protein had the highest ACE-I inhibition activity. The findings indicate that soy–whey protein fraction (> 50 kDa) had good solubility, emulsion activity and stability, while the unfractionated whey protein exhibited the strongest ACE-I inhibition percentage (19%).     

Purification and identification of an ACE inhibitory peptide from the peptic hydrolysate of Acetes chinensis and its antihypertensive effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Acetes chinensis is a marine shrimp found in the coastal waters of China. The shrimp was hydrolysed by pepsin to prepare hydrolysates with angiotensin I‐converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. The hydrolysate with the highest ACE inhibitory activity resulted from a 3–5 h incubation at 45 °C and pH 2.5 with pepsin. Gel filtration and RP‐HPLC were used to separate ACE inhibitory peptides from the hydrolysate. The gel filtration fraction of the hydrolysate with a molecular weight range from 1320 Da to 311 Da exerted the highest ACE inhibition activity. This fraction was separated by RP‐HPLC into fifteen fractions, of which fraction F9 showed 92.7% of the ACE inhibition activity. Its peptide sequence was determined to be Leu–His–Pro. It showed a potent antihypertensive activity in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The results suggested that this peptide may be a potent ACE inhibitor which might be developed into a healthy food to lower blood pressure.     

ACE inhibitory and antihypertensive properties of apricot almond meal hydrolysate

Apricot almond meal was hydrolyzed simultaneously with Neutrase and N120P proteases. The hydrolysate almond peptide (AP) was fractionated into three ranges of molecular weight (AP-I, >5 kDa; AP-II, 1–5 kDa; AP-III, <1 kDa) using an ultrafiltration membrane bioreactor system. The AP-III brought about a high angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity with IC₅₀ value of 0.138 mg mL⁻¹ and the content of hydrophobic amino acid of AP-III was 50.08%. Lineweaver–Burk plots suggested that AP-III acts as a non-competitive inhibitor to inhibit ACE. And we evaluated the stability and in vivo antihypertensive activity of AP-III. Multiple dose oral administration (100 mg kg⁻¹ body weight (BW), 400, 800 mg kg⁻¹ BW) to spontaneously hypertensive rats led to a significant decrease in blood pressure for AP-III. Additionally, the gel filtration and RP-HPLC were used to separate ACE inhibitory peptides from the hydrolysate. The results suggested that the peptide derived from apricot almond protein may have potential applications as functional food.     

Partial Characterization of Ultrafiltrated Soy Protein Hydrolysates with Antioxidant and Free Radical Scavenging Activities

Soy protein isolate (SPI) was hydrolyzed with Flavourzyme® (SHF) or chymotrypsin (SHC). Hydrolysates were sequencially fractionated by ultrafiltration using different membrane pore sizes (50, 10, and 3 kDa). The antioxidant ability of each hydrolysate protein fraction was tested in a liposome oxidizing system and their free radical scavenging activity (FRSA) was evaluated with the DPPH method (diphenylpicrilhydrazine radical). Molecular weight (MW) distribution, solubility, surface hydrophobicity, and amino acid composition of each SPI hydrolysate fraction were measured and their effect on antioxidant and scavenging activities was established by multivariate correlation. The most active ultrafiltrated peptide fractions (P < 0.05), from SHF and SHC, had of MW of <3 kDa (F3 and C3, respectively). These fractions decreased liposome oxidation by 83.2% and 84.5%, respectively, and also showed the highest FRSA (F3: 21.3% and C3: 24.4%). In addition to molecular size, the antioxidant activity and FRSA of soy protein fractions were related to their amino acid composition, especially to an increased content of Phe and a lowered content of Lys. Also, hydrophobicity of ultrafiltrated peptide fractions was an important characteristic (P < 0.001) associated with their ability to trap free radicals. Ultrafiltered peptide fractions with low MW have a high potential to be used as natural alternatives to prevent lipid oxidation in foods.     

Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor derived from soy protein hydrolysate and produced by using membrane reactor

Five different proteolytic enzymes, including Alcalase, Flavourzyme, trypsin, chymotrypsin and pepsin were employed to hydrolyze isolated soy protein (ISP) to produce the hydrolysates, respectively. The result indicated that hydrolysis of ISP for 0.5–6 h with Alcalase produced the highest ACE inhibitory activity. Therefore, Alcalase was selected for further study on optimization of hydrolysis conditions. The optimum conditions for Alcalase to hydrolyze ISP to produce the lowest IC₅₀ value were: E/S = 0.01, hydrolysis temperature = 50 °C, pH 9.0 and hydrolysis time = 6 h. Under these conditions, the IC₅₀ value of ISP was significantly reduced from 66.4 to 0.67 mg protein/ml. The lower IC₅₀ value represented the higher the ACE inhibitory activity. Moreover, several membranes with molecular weight cut-offs (MWCFs) of 1000–30,000Da were used to filter the hydrolysate. The 10 kDa permeate obtained from the treatment of the hydrolysate by 10,000 Da MWCF membrane could further reduce its IC₅₀ value from 0.668 to 0.078 mg protein/ml with a peptide recovery of 67.5%. An operation stability study showed that the membrane reactor system could maintain a steady production of ISP hydrolysate for over 8 h. The in vitro effect of gastrointestinal protease on ACE inhibitory activity of 10 kDa permeate was also investigated. The results suggested that gastrointestinal proteases have very little effect on the ACE inhibitory activity of 10 kDa permeate.     

Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory and antihypertensive properties of squid skin gelatin hydrolysates

Gelatin extracted from squid (Dosidicus eschrichitii Steenstrup) skin was hydrolysed with pepsin to prepare Angiotensin-I-Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptide. The ACE-inhibitory activity was measured by spectrophotometric assay. The hydrolysate was fractionated into three ranges of molecular weight (6 kDa < HSSG-I < 10 kDa, 2 kDa < HSSG-II < 6 kDa, HSSG-III < 2 kDa) using an ultrafiltration unit. The HSSG-III showed the most potent ACE inhibitory activity in vitro with IC₅₀ of 0.33 mg/ml. Renovascular hypertensive rats (RHR) model was made with two-kidney one clip assay, and antihypertensive effects were studied in RHR treated with HSSG-III for 30 days by oral administration. Arterial blood pressure were measured respectively. The HSSG-III remarkably reduced the arterial blood pressure of RHR. These results suggested that hydrolysate of squid skin gelatin obtained by treatment with pepsin was a good source of peptides with ACE-inhibitory activity and had an antihypertensive effect by oral administration.     

Functionality of Bacillus proteinase hydrolysates of sodium caseinate

Sodium caseinate (NaCN) was digested with Protamex, a Bacillus proteinase, at 40°C and pH 7.0 to degree of hydrolysis (DH) values of 2.7%, 5.3% and 13.3%. The solubility, emulsifying, foaming and viscosity properties of the hydrolysates were investigated between pH 2.0 and 10.0. Foam expansion of >1300% was observed for the 5.3% DH hydrolysate at pH 4.0, compared to 670% for unheated NaCN. Significantly improved foam expansion properties (P<0.005) were observed over the entire pH range examined for the 13.3% DH hydrolysate compared to unheated or heat-treated NaCN. Hydrolysis resulted in significantly improved solubility (P<0.005) around the isoelectric point and significant improvements in the emulsifying activity and stability (P<0.005) at alkaline pH compared to unheated NaCN. Hydrolysis with Protamex increased the apparent viscosity of NaCN at the isoelectric point. Reversed-phase HPLC profiles showed that high DH samples contained high levels of hydrophilic peptides.     

Inhibition of angiotensin I-converting enzyme by wheat gliadin hydrolysates

A tryptic gliadin hydrolysate was fractionated into peptide fractions, which were assigned to either the central domain (CD) or terminal domains (TD) of gliadins. The domains were expected to contain amino acid (AA) sequences which, when released from the parent protein, inhibit the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE), which plays a key role in regulating blood pressure. A proline (Pro) poor TD related fraction, containing the smallest peptides, showed the highest ACE inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.33 mg/ml). Additional peptidases were selected based on their in silico predicted ability to release ACE inhibitory peptides. Further hydrolysis of the tryptic hydrolysate fractions with thermolysin, Clarex, Alcalase and Esperase increased ACE inhibitory activities. Immobilised Ni²⁺-ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) purification of a TD related peptide fraction obtained by sequential hydrolysis with trypsin and thermolysin yielded a fraction with an IC₅₀ value of 0.02 mg/ml. This IMAC fraction was enriched in histidine and hydrophobic AA (Pro, Val, Ile, Leu and Phe).     

Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Synthesis of Soy Protein to Improve its Amino Acid Composition and Functional Properties

Soy protein was enzymatically modified and ultrafiltred, and functional properties were evaluated. After enzymatic hydrolysis, hydrolysate (20 g/100 mL) was incubated with chymotrypsin and glycerol at 37°C. Different methionine methyl-ester concentrations, pHs, and time were tested. Amino acid composition and functional properties of ultrafiltrated fractions (FI>10, 10>FII>3, and 3>FII>1 kDa) were evaluated. Optimum hydrolysis conditions were 12 h and 50°C, and those of synthesis were 0.07585 g Met/g, pH 7, and 3 h, binding 2.2% to 5% methionine. Fractions under 10 kDa presented 100% solubility and the best clarity. High-methionine fractions had higher foam volume, lower emulsifying capacity and hydrophobicity. Modified hydrolysates have a potential for use in soluble high nutritional products.     

The impact of fermentation and in vitro digestion on formation angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides from pea proteins

Pea seeds were fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum 299v in monoculture under different time and temperature conditions and the fermented products were digested in vitro under gastrointestinal conditions. After fermentation and digestion ACE inhibitory activity was determined. In all samples after fermentation no ACE inhibitory activity was noted. Potentially antihypertensive peptides were released during in vitro digestion. The highest DH (68.62%) were noted for control sample, although the lowest IC₅₀ value (0.19 mg/ml) was determined for product after 7 days fermentation at 22 °C. The hydrolysate characterised by the highest ACE inhibitory activity was separated on Sephadex G10 and two peptides fractions were obtained. The highest ACE inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 64.04 μg/ml) for the first fraction was noted. This fraction was separated by HPLC and identified by LC–MS/MS and the sequence of peptide derived from pea proteins was determined as KEDDEEEEQGEEE.     

Evaluation of angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of smooth hound (Mustelus mustelus) muscle protein hydrolysates generated by gastrointestinal proteases: identification of the most potent active peptide

In this study, smooth hound protein hydrolysates (SHPHs), obtained by treatment with various gastrointestinal proteases, were analyzed for their angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities. Protein hydrolysates were obtained by treatment with crude alkaline enzyme extract, low molecular weight (LMW) alkaline protease, trypsin-like protease and pepsin from Mustelus mustelus, and bovine trypsin. All hydrolysates exhibited inhibitory activity toward ACE. Hydrolysate generated with alkaline protease extract displayed the highest ACE inhibitory activity, and the higher inhibition activity (82.6% at 2 mg/mL) was obtained with a hydrolysis degree of 18.8%. This hydrolysate was then fractionated by size exclusion chromatography on a Sephadex G-25 into five major fractions (P₁–P₅). ACE inhibitory activities of all fractions were assayed, and P₃ was found to display a high ACE inhibitory activity (62.24% at 1 mg/mL). P₃ was then fractionated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and ten fractions of ACE inhibitors were found (F₁–F₁₀). Sub-fraction F₃ showed the strongest ACE inhibitory activity, being able to suppress more than 60% of initial enzyme activity at a concentration of 100 μg/mL. The amino acid sequence of peptide F₃ was determined by ESI/MS and ESI–MS/MS as Ala-Gly-Ser, and the IC₅₀ value for ACE inhibitory activity was 0.13 ± 0.03 mg/mL. Further, purified peptide F₃ maintained inhibitory activity even after in vitro digestion with gastrointestinal proteases in order to demonstrate gastrointestinal stability digestion to enable oral application. These results indicate that smooth hound protein hydrolysate possesses potent antihypertensive activity.