Ricerc@Sapienza

In the present paper, bioactive peptides from cauliflower by-products (leaves and stems) were investigated. Alcalase® protein hydrolysis time and pH conditions were optimized, then the hydrolysates were fractionated by preparative RP-HPLC into 12 fractions. Each fraction was tested for the ABTS (2,2′-Azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)), and DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity and for ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) inhibitor activity.

Microalgae are unicellular marine organisms that have promoted complex biochemical pathways to survive in greatly competitive marine environments. They could contain significant amounts of high-quality proteins which, because of their structural diversity, contain a range of yet undiscovered novel bioactive peptides. In this work, a peptidomic platform was developed for the separation and identification of bioactive peptides in protein hydrolysates.

Asparagus waste represents products of great interest since many compounds with high biological value are located in the lower portion of the spears. The extraction of bioactive compounds from asparagus by-products is therefore crucial for the purpose of adding value to these by-products. In this paper, bioactive peptides from asparagus waste were extracted, digested, purified and identified. In particular, Alcalase® was chosen as the enzyme to use to obtain protein hydrolysate due to its low cost and, consequently, the possibility of implementing the method on a large scale.