The antimicrobial activity (the ability to activate the microbial autolytic system) and immunostimulatory activity (the ability to improve the phagocytic cell functioning) of 20 food-protein hydrolysates [five food proteins (casein, alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, ovalbumin and serum albumin) hydrolyzed with four gastrointestinal proteinases (trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, pepsin and pancreatin)] were examined. All the food-protein hydrolysates acted antimicrobially in vitro towards all 24 microbial strains tested: autolysis of 20 naturally autolyzing strains was activated, with the autolysis activation index (K(A)) ranging from 1.04 to 22.0, while autolysis was induced to values of 2.81-56.7% in four naturally nonautolyzing strains. When given to mice per os, all the food-protein hydrolysates enhanced the phagocytosing capacity of peritoneal macrophages, with the enhancement index (K(I)) ranging from 1.02 to 1.41. A direct correlation between K(A) and K(I) was observed. We make the presumption that K(I) is a function of K(A).
The effects of the enzymatic approach to reducing the milk somatic cell count (SCC) have been examined. Bacterial lysozyme, a lytic carbohydrase, was used in this experiment as a model enzyme preparation. Twenty 2nd Á/3rd lactation Lithuanian black and white cows with a similar milk SCC [(6009/150) )/10 3 cells ml (1 ] and of a similar weight (5509/50 kg) were involved in the study and were randomly allocated into three test groups (n 0/5) and one control group. The enzyme was given to the test groups once daily with feed (each group of animals received a different dose) for ten successive days. Application of any of lysozyme doses tested (50, 100 or 200 mg kg wt (1 ) resulted in a reduction of milk SCC, the result obtained with the highest dose (200 mg kg wt (1 ) was statistically significant (p B/0.05). No significant changes in haematological indices of cows as well as in protein, fat and lactose quantities in milk influenced by lysozyme application were observed.
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