Characterisation and cytomodulatory properties of peptides from Mozzarella di Bufala Campana cheese whey

Abstract

Bioactive peptides are present in a latent state, encrypted within the amino acid sequence of milk proteins, requiring enzymatic proteolysis for their release. They can be produced by gastrointestinal digestion or food processing, thus they can be present in fermented milks, cheese and also in the by-products of dairy industry such as waste whey. The spectrum of biological activity covered by milk-derived peptides is extremely wide, including antibacterial, immunostimulating, antihypertensive, antithrombotic and opioid actions. However, the characterisation of milk-derived peptides with classical analytical methodologies is severely challenged by the complexity of the milk protein fraction and by the wide dynamic range of relative peptide abundance in both dairy products and by-products. Here we report the characterisation of the peptide fraction released in the whey during the different production stages of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana cheese. The peptide extracts were separated by RP HPLC and analysed by MS in order to identify the peptides produced and to trace the pathway of formation of potential bioactive peptides. The antioxidant properties and the modulatory effect on the cell cycle exerted by the peptide extracts were also studied in CaCo2 cell line. We found that a significant antiproliferative effect on CaCo2 was exerted by Mozzarella di Bufala waste whey peptides.

Peptides from water buffalo cheese whey induced senescence cell death via ceramide secretion in human colon adenocarcinoma cell line

“…CaCo2 cells derived from human intestinal epithelial adenocarcinoma extensively used in several studies of intestinal functions, nutrient absorption, and vectorial transport [39], were used in this study because of their ability to reproduce several of the normal physiological responses to various modulatory agents, in a model which mimics the exposition to oxidants produced from ingested foods. In a previous study [32], we showed the antioxidant and antiproliferative effects of the peptide extract from Mozzarella cheese waste whey. Here, we identified a purified peptide fraction from cheese whey (f3) which maintained the antioxidant and antiproliferative action, and investigated its functional effect against H-CaCo2 cells.…”

“…The peptide mixture was extracted from BWW as described previously [32]. The peptide extracts were dried using a Savant concentrator (Speed Vac, Milan, Italy) and stored at À201C either for structural analysis or further purification by RP-HPLC or biological assays.…”

“…Moreover, a number of recent studies have shown that milk-derived peptides exert cytomodulatory activity playing a role in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis [29][30][31]. A previous study on the CaCo2 cell line suggested that the complex peptide fraction of the buffalo milk waste whey (BWW), resulting from production of buffalo Mozzarella cheese had antioxidant and cytomodulatory properties [32]. In the present investigation, BWW peptide subfractions were characterized by complementary MS techniques.…”

Structural and functional characterization of hemp seed (Cannabis sativa L.) protein-derived antioxidant and antihypertensive peptides

“…Some milk-derived peptides, for instance have been shown to trigger apoptosis, especially in malignant cells, whereas normal cells seem to be less susceptible (Meisel & Fitzgerald, 2003). Research has revealed that peptides from Mozzarella cheese whey showed significant antiproliferative effect on CaCo2 cell lines (De Simone et al, 2009). In another study, cytomodulatory peptides were shown to inhibit cancer cell growth while stimulating the activity of immunocompetent cells and neonatal intestinal cells (Meisel & Fitzgerald, 2003).…”

Detailed peptide profiling of “Scotta”: from a dairy waste to a source of potential health-promoting compounds

“…No peptides belonging to α s2 -CN were detected, neither peptides deriving from whey proteins, since the thermal coagulation process leads to their incorporation into cheese. It is noteworthy that the only previous investigation on Scotta led to the identification of only 29 peptides (De Simone et al 2009). This significant difference cannot be solely explained by a different processing method used by the factory but should be ascribed to a different analytical setup.…”