The antioxidant activity of protein fractions from Sacha inchi seeds after a simulated gastrointestinal digestion

Defatted Sacha inchi seed is an important source of protein (up to 59.1% dry weight). Besides, the application of antioxidant peptides is often limited due to a reduction in their activities by enzymatic hydrolysis during gastrointestinal digestion. Therefore, the objective of this study was to obtain stable, anti-digestive and strongly antioxidative protein hydrolysates against non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by investigating the changes in the antioxidant capacities of the protein fractions (albumin, globulin and glutelin) from Sacha inchi seeds (PFFSIS) during simulated gastrointestinal digestion (SGID). The results showed SGID promoted the release of smaller bioactive peptides from PFFSIS evidenced by the increased soluble peptide content, DH and low MW distribution. Besides, the extracellular antioxidant capacity (ABTS center dot+ radical-scavenging activity, reducing power and ORAC value) and intracellular antioxidant capacity (inhibiting erythrocyte hemolysis by enzyme system (SOD, CAT and GSH-Px) and non-enzyme substances (GSH)) of PFFSIS were significantly increased after the SGID due to potential antioxidant mechanisms inside and outside the cell. The glutelin fraction showed the highest antioxidant activity after the SGID, followed by albumin and globulin fractions. These results highlight the potential application of glutelin fraction hydrolysates of Sacha inchi seeds as natural antioxidant supplements to prevent NCDs.

Automated summary

This study investigated the changes in antioxidant capacities of protein fractions from Sacha inchi seeds during simulated gastrointestinal digestion, showing that the digestion process increased their antioxidant activity, especially the glutelin fraction. This highlights the potential application of glutelin hydrolysates as natural antioxidant supplements to prevent non-communicable diseases.