High hydrostatic pressure increases the biosynthesis of γ-aminobutyric acid using bee pollen as a novel and eco-friendly catalyst

Abstract

Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) has antihypertensive and anti-stress effects on human health. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP), a nonthermal treatment, has been documented as a novel approach to enhance the nutritional quality and functional components of plant-based food. In this study, a novel method to convert monosodium glutamate (MSG) to GABA using bee pollen as a natural catalyst was observed, and the GABA yield was improved by HHP treatment. Firstly, GABA production was confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS-MS), the highest GABA production was found in lotus bee pollen (LBP) when different varieties of bee pollen were used for the reaction. Secondly, the reaction conditions were utilized, and the optimal reaction condition of the GABA production was determined as described below: 250 mg/mL of bee pollen mixed with 590 mmol/L of MSG that prepared by 80 mmol/L of phosphate buffer (pH 5.8), and incubated at 40 °C for 6 h. For HHP treatment conditions, a treatment of 200 MPa for 10 min at 40 °C was found as the optimal. Under optimal conditions, GABA production reached 508.79 mmol/L (containing GABA from LBP) from 590 mmol/L of MSG. In conclusion, we found and optimized a novel method to convert monosodium glutamate (MSG) to GABA, and proposed the promotion of HHP on GABA bio-conversion.