
Iuliana Aprodu
University of Galati, RomaniaTitle: In silico Investigations on the Bioactive Peptides Released from Egg Proteins
Abstract
Eggs are rich in proteins
which are well balanced in terms of essential amino acids. In addition to the
nutritional benefit, egg consumption might also help maintaining the good
health of the nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular or immune systems, because of
the biological properties of the peptides encrypted in the main egg proteins.
The aim of this study was to simulate the complete hydrolysis of the major
proteins found in the egg yolk and white, and to identify the peptides with
promising bioactivity. The primary amino acid sequences of the proteins were
selected from the UniProt database and hydrolysis was carried out using the
Peptide cutter tool. The individual and cumulative action of the following
proteases were considered in the study: pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin. The
peptides released by the main digestive proteases were identified and their
bioactivity was further evaluated through in silico
approach using the BIOPEP-UWM database. The results indicated that small
molecular weight hydrophobic peptides with 2 to 4 residues might exhibit
antioxidant activity. Moreover, the peptides obtained from the egg white and
yolk proteins might also exert antihypertensive activity, antimicrobial
activity, anticancer activity or anti-inflammatory activity. The impact of the enzyme
assisted hydrolysis on the antigenic properties of main allergens found in egg
white was also checked. The
results indicated that both pepsin and trypsin recognize various peptide bonds
from the linear epitopes of ovomucoid and ovalbumin, therefore triggering the
decrease of the antigenic properties of these allergens. In conclusion,
egg proteins are valuable sources of biologically active peptides, which can be
efficiently released thorough hydrolysis with pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin.
Biography
Iuliana Aprodu is a Professor at
Faculty of Food Science and Engineering of Dunarea de Jos University of Galati.
Her teaching activities are in the field of Food Science and Biotechnology. Her
research focuses on intermolecular interactions in complex systems, increasing
quality of proteins and sustainability of their processing, as well as on
developing new functional products. She is the author of more than 170 peer
reviewed international papers in the field of food science and four patents.