Avaliação in vitro da atividade biológica de hidrolisados proteico de algaroba

Abstract

Macambira (Bromelia laciniosa Mart. ex Shult. &Shult. f.) is a species of the Bromeliaceae family. It is found in the northeastern hinterland, from Bahia to Piauí. It is a species seen as one of the alternatives offered by the caatinga for small breeders of goats, sheep and pigs as food supplementation. An enzymatic complex found in macambira is bromelain, of great therapeutic importance, attributed both to its proteolytic activity and to the non-proteolytic components contained in the extract. A substrate subject to the action of bromelain is the protein concentrate of the mesquite seed. The algaroba (Prosopis juliflora (SW) D.C.) is a legume that is currently considered a raw material with significant potential for the development of various products intended for food. Bioactive peptides can have 2-20 amino acids that can have several beneficial health activities, including antioxidant activity. In the enzymatic hydrolysis process, the peptide bonds between protein molecules are broken, where it is possible to obtain bioactive peptides of different sizes. This work aimed to evaluate in vitro the biological activity of protein hydrolysates from mesquite seeds after proteolysis by bromelain obtained from macambira. Bromelain was extracted from macambira leaves (Bromelia laciniosa) and partially purified by ethanol precipitation. After obtaining the protein concentrate from the mesquite seeds, hydrolysis was carried out at 47°C in a substrate enzyme ratio of 1:50 during different times: 2, 4, 8, 16 and 24 h. After obtaining the hydrolysates, they were evaluated for antioxidant activity by the DPPH, ABTS, reducing power and chelating capacity of copper and iron methods. The hydrolyzate with the highest antioxidant activity, in the evaluated methods, was chosen for the antibacterial activity assay. It was possible to verify antioxidant activity in all evaluated methods. The best activity was verified in the hydrolyzate obtained after 16 h, where it presented 96.81%, 19.47% and 5.49% by the ABTS, DPPH and Reducing Power methods, respectively. The hydrolysates obtained after 2 h showed greater iron and copper chelating activity. The 16 h hydrolyzate was evaluated against bacterial growth and it was able to inhibit the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes at a concentration of 1 mg/mL. It was observed that the production of bioactive peptides from algaroba protein concentrate was feasible and that the antioxidant activity of the hydrolysates was possible in all methods. Algarroba protein hydrolysates can be used by the food industry as a natural antioxidant or antibacterial. However, new studies must be carried out in order to prove the action of the products obtained and a possible future application