PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS IN VITRO ACE-INHIBITORY ACTIVITIES OF TRYPTIC PEPTIDES PRODUCED FROM COLD PRESS DEOILED HAZELNUT MEALS

摘要

Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is a rich source of proteins which are concentrated in deoiled meals during hazelnut oil manufacture. Here, an in vitro attempt was made to evaluate the biological functionality of tryptic hazelnut peptides. In our in silico investigations, a specific subset of hazelnut proteins was predicted to demonstrate ACE-inhibitory and DPP-IV-inhibitory activities. Consequently, hazelnut protein concentrates were produced from cold press deoiled meals and subjected to tryptic hydrolysis (37°C). The progress of trypsinolysis was monitored using size exclusion chromatography (SEC), fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) and Raman spectroscopy. While the protein hydrolyzates had limited ACE-inhibitory activity, after 240 min of trypsinolysis, ACE-inhibitory activity was approximately 40% at a relatively low protein concentration level. Although further clarifications are necessary, current findings demonstrated hazelnut meal could be considered as a valuable source of ACE-inhibitory peptides that can be utilized in the formulation of functional foods and food supplements.