Abstract
The antioxidant and metal chelating activities inJ. curcasprotein hydrolysates have been determined. The hydrolysates were produced by treatment of a nontoxic genotype with the digestive enzymes pepsin and pancreatin and then were characterized by fast protein liquid chromatography and reverse phase chromatography. Peptidic fractions with higher radical scavenging activity were analysed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring inhibition of the oxidative degradation ofβ-carotene and by measuring the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in Caco-2 cell cultures. Cu2+and Fe2+chelating activities were also determined. The hydrolysates inhibited the degradation ofβ-carotene and the formation of ROS in Caco-2 cells. The lower molecular weight peptidic fractions from FPLC had stronger antioxidant activity in cell cultures compared with the hydrolysates, which correlated with a higher content in antioxidant and chelating amino acids. These fractions were characterized by a large presence of peptides with different molecular masses. The hydrolysates exhibited both Cu2+and Fe2+chelating activity. It was concluded thatJ. curcasis a good source of antioxidant and metal chelating peptides, which may have a positive impact on the economic value of this crop, as a potential source of food functional components.
Highlights
Jatropha curcas L., a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, is a drought resistant small tree of significant economic importance, because of its various industrial and medicinal uses [1]
The lower molecular weight peptidic fractions from Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC) had stronger antioxidant activity in cell cultures compared with the hydrolysates, which correlated with a higher content in antioxidant and chelating amino acids
The aim of this work was to investigate the antioxidant and chelating properties of J. curcas protein hydrolysates obtained from a nontoxic genotype in order to determine their possible use for producing bioactive peptides that could be used for manufacturing of functional foods
Summary
Jatropha curcas L., a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, is a drought resistant small tree of significant economic importance, because of its various industrial and medicinal uses [1]. Its seeds are a good source of oil that can be used as a diesel substitute. Jatropha cake byproduct obtained after oil extraction is rich in proteins, it is not used for feeding animals because of its toxicity, which is attributed to the presence of phorbol esters [2]. Nontoxic J. curcas genotypes that do not contain phorbol esters have been reported in Mexico [3], where traditional dishes are elaborated using the roasted fruits of these nontoxic genotypes. The production of protein isolates has been proposed as a method to reduce antinutritional and toxic factors [4]. Protein hydrolysates are a source of bioactive peptides that may have beneficial biological effects [6]. Bioactive peptides with antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, opioid, antioxidant, hypocholesterolemic, and metal chelating activity have been described [7]
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