Antihypertensive Peptides from Ultrafiltration and Fermentation of the Ricotta Cheese Exhausted Whey: Design and Characterization of a Functional Ricotta Cheese

Abstract

Aiming at valorizing the ricotta cheese exhausted whey (RCEW), one of the most abundant by-products from the dairy industry, a biotechnological protocol to obtain bioactive peptides with angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)--inhibitory activity was set up. The approach was based on the combination of membrane filtration and fermentation. A Lactobacillus helveticus strain selected to be used as starter for the fermentation of the ultrafiltration protein-rich retentate (R-UF) obtained from RCEW. The fermented R-UF was characterized by a high anti-ACE activity. Peptides responsible for the bioactivity were purified and identified through nano-LC–ESI–MS/MS. The sequences identified in the purified active fractions of the fermented R-UF showed partial or complete overlapping with previously reported κ-casein antihypertensive fragments. The fermented R-UF was spray-dried and used to enrich ricotta cheese at different fortification level (1 and 5% w/w). An integrated approach including the assessment of the microbiological, chemical, functional, textural, and sensory properties was used to characterize the fortified products. A significantly higher anti-ACE activity was found in the ricotta cheese fortified with fermented R-UF as compared to the control and to the samples obtained with the unfermented R-UF fraction at the same levels of fortification. In particular, a 100 g portion of the ricotta cheese produced at 5% fortification level contained circa 30 mg of bioactive peptides. The fortification led to a moderate acidification, increased hardness and chewiness, and decreased the milk odor and taste of the ricotta cheese as compared to the control, while flavor persistence and sapidity improved.

Antioxidant activity of nanoencapsulated chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed extract and its application to manufacture a functional cheese

“…Lactic acid was added to the mixture at a level of 25 ml/L and a curd was formed which was collected in a mold with dimensions of 43 mm × 20 mm. After separating the curd from the whey, the prepared cheese was cooled to room temperature (Pontonio et al, 2021). The F‐CSE and E‐CSE were added in levels of 1.5% and 3.0% w/w in the cheese samples and mixed for 5 min.…”

“…The amount of total dry matter was obtained by subtracting the moisture content from 100. The pH and titratable acidity (% lactic acid) amounts of cheeses were determined using a digital pH meter (Pontonio et al, 2021) and titration with 0.1 sodium hydroxide (Abebe & Emire, 2020), respectively.…”

“…The weight of the sample, speed of test, and sample deformation were 60 g, 1 mm/s, and 30%, respectively. Two compression cycles were used (Pontonio et al, 2021).…”

Exploring the DPP-IV Inhibitory, Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potential of Ovine “Scotta” Hydrolysates

“…Over the years, several approaches to its valorization have been developed [ 9 , 10 , 11 ], since scotta still retains significant amount of useful compounds from whey, such as lactose, minerals, oligosaccharides, vitamins, proteins, soluble peptides, and free amino acids [ 9 ]. Scotta has been employed using biotechnological approaches as a growth substrate for some selected Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) for the production of lactic acid [ 12 ], or yeasts such as Chlorella protothecoides for the production of carotenoids, chlorophyll [ 13 ], and bioethanol [ 6 , 14 ], as ingredient to fortify ricotta, including bioactive peptides with antioxidant and anti-tyrosinase activities [ 15 ], bioactive peptides with angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)—inhibitory [ 16 ] biodegradable bioplastic [ 17 ], fermented drink [ 18 ] and hydrogen [ 19 , 20 ].…”

Advances in the Use of Beneficial Microorganisms to Improve Nutritional and Functional Properties of Fermented Foods

“…Cheese whey represents the main by-product of the dairy industry; however, this whey is also a source of functional and bioactive compounds, in particular, proteins and peptides. A biotechnological protocol aimed at the valorization of exhausted ricotta whey enriched the substrate in bioactive peptides, thus creating a supplement to produce a functional ricotta [ 11 ].…”