An aspartic protease from Salpichroa origanifolia fruits was successfully immobilized onto an activated support of glutaraldehyde agarose. The immobilized enzyme presented higher thermal stability than the free enzyme from 40°C to 50°C and high reusability, retaining 54% of the initial activity after ten cycles of the process. Whey protein concentrates (WPC) were hydrolyzed with both free and immobilized enzyme, reaching a similar degree of hydrolysis of approximately 6-8% after 20h. In addition, the immobilized derivate hydrolyzed α-lactalbumin protein with a higher affinity than β-lactoglobulin. The hydrolysate was ultra-filtrated, and the fractions were evaluated for antioxidant activities with the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity method. The fraction containing peptides with a molecular mass below 3kDa demonstrated a strong radical quenching effect (IC50: 0.48mg/ml). These results suggest that hydrolyzed WPC could be considered as a promising source of natural food antioxidants for the development of functional food.
Keywords: Antioxidant peptides; Enzymatic hydrolysates; Immobilization; Whey protein concentrate.
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