How peptide migration and fraction bioactivity are modulated by applied electrical current conditions during electromembrane process separation: A comprehensive machine learning-based peptidomic approach

Enhanced antihypertensive chicken by-product hydrolysate fraction after its separation by electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membrane (EDUF)

The environmental impact of poultry industry waste has led to the study of hydrolysates with potential health-promoting properties obtained from poultry by-products and their fractionation to increase the bioactivity of these hydrolysates. The aim of the present study was to separate a chicken by-product hydrolysate (CBH) by electrodialysis with ultrafiltration membranes (EDUF), providing peptide selective separation based on their charge and molecular weight, and to characterize the resulting fractions. Experimental results showed that during the peptide fractionation process the global peptide migration rate (MR) from CBH was 14.97 ± 0.14 g/m2•h with a relative energy consumption of 31.27 ± 2.61 Wh/g of total peptides. 164 peptides were identified in the initial CBH, and following EDUF, 39 migrated to the positively charged peptide fraction (PCC) and 9 to the negatively charge peptide fraction (NCC): 21 sequences were reported as bioactive for CBH, 6 for PCC and 1 for NCC. Analyses of ACE inhibition evidenced a 1.4 fold increase in antihypertensive activity of the PCC (IC50 0.46 ± 0.04 mg peptides /mL) in comparison to CBH (IC50 0.65 ± 0. 04 mg peptides /mL), despite the smaller number of bioactive sequences reported and the fact that it is possible to enhance the PCC recovery by modifying the EDUF configuration in further studies. These findings highlight the significance of EDUF as a sustainable method for obtaining specifically charged peptide fractions with enhanced bioactivity from the initial hydrolysate.

Antimicrobial Peptides from Porcine Blood Cruor Hydrolysates as a Promising Source of Antifungal Activity

Porcine blood, a significant byproduct of the pork industry, represents a potential source of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs offer a promising alternative to chemical antimicrobials, which can be used as natural preservatives in the food industry. AMPs can exhibit both antibacterial and/or antifungal properties, thus improving food safety and addressing the growing concern of antibiotic and antifungal resistance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of potential AMPs previously identified from porcine cruor hydrolysates. To this end, a total of sixteen peptides were chemically synthesized and their antimicrobial activities (antibacterial, anti-mold, and anti-yeast) were evaluated using microtitration and agar well diffusion methods against a wide range of microorganisms. Five new peptide sequences demonstrated antifungal activity, with Pep5 (FQKVVAGVANALAHKYH), an alpha-helix peptide, exhibiting the most promising results. Pep5 demonstrated efficacy against nine of the eleven fungal isolates, exhibiting low minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and a fungicidal effect against key spoilage fungi (Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Debaryomyces hansenii, Candida guilliermondii, Paecilomyces spp., Eurotium rubrum, Mucor racemosus, Aspergillus versicolor, Penicillium commune, and P. chrysogenum). These findings illustrate the potential of porcine blood hydrolysates as a source of AMPs, particularly antifungal peptides, which are less known and less studied than the antibacterial ones. Among the tested sequences, Pep5 exhibited the most promising characteristics, including broad-spectrum activity, low MICs, and a fungicidal effect. It is, therefore, a promising candidate for further research and for potential applications in the porcine industry and beyond.