Abstract
Amaranth is an ancestral crop used by pre-Columbian cultures for 6000 to 8000 years. Its grains have a relevant chemical composition not only from a nutritional point of view but also due to the contribution of components with good techno-functional properties and important potential as bioactive compounds. Numerous studies have shown that amaranth storage proteins possess encrypted sequences that, once released, exhibit different physiological activities. One of the most studied is antihypertensive activity. This review summarizes the progress made over the last years (2008–2020) related to this topic. Studies related to inhibition of different enzymes of the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system, in particular Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) and Renin, as well as those referring to potential modulation mechanisms of tissue or local Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone system, are analyzed, including in silico, in vitro, in vivo, and ex vivo assays. Furthermore, the potential use of these bioactive peptides or products containing them, in the elaboration of functional food matrices is discussed. Finally, the most relevant conclusions and future requirements in research and development of food products are presented.
Highlights
Amaranth is a pseudocereal that was part of the diet of pre-Columbian cultures
The results suggest that the degree of protein denaturation does not affect the sensitivity to alcalase hydrolysis, that the peptides released by alcalase are resistant to the action of the simulated gastrointestinal digestion process and that the antihypertensive peptides can be released during the DGI of amaranth concentrates, with reduced activity
Vilcacundo et al (2019), compared their results with those obtained by SorianoSantos and Escalona-Buendıá (2015) with alcalase hydrolysates of amaranth albumins and globulins and concluded that the alcalase hydrolysis promoted the release of inhibitory peptides, but to a lesser extent than the simulated digestion
Summary
Amaranth is a pseudocereal that was part of the diet of pre-Columbian cultures. The diet of Aztecs, Mayas, and Incas was mainly based on plant foods, which were low in fat, with moderate protein content and rich in complex carbohydrates. The use of bioinformatics tools has allowed demonstrating that amaranth storage proteins and their constituent fractions are potential sources of antihypertensive peptides and to identify two tetrapeptides encrypted in the 11S-glob as competitive ACE inhibitors.
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