In vitro digestibility and Caco-2 cell bioavailability of sea lettuce (Ulva fenestrata) proteins extracted using pH-shift processing

Seaweed is a promising sustainable source of vegan protein as its farming does not require arable land, pesticides/insecticides, nor freshwater supply. However, to be explored as a novel protein source the content and nutritional quality of protein in seaweed need to be improved. We assessed the influence of pH-shift processing on protein degree of hydrolysis (%DH), protein/peptide size distribution, accessibility, and cell bioavailability of Ulva fenestrata proteins after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. pH-shift processing of Ulva, which concentrated its proteins 3.5-times, significantly improved the %DH from 27.7 +/- 2.6% to 35.7 +/- 2.1% and the amino acid accessibility from 56.9 +/- 4.1% to 72.7 +/- 0.6%. Due to the higher amino acid accessibility, the amount of most amino acids transported across the cell monolayers was higher in the protein extracts. Regarding bioavailability, both Ulva and protein extracts were as bioavailable as casein. The protein/peptide molecular size distribution after digestion did not disclose a clear association with bioavailability.

Automated summary

pH-shift processing significantly improves the degree of hydrolysis and amino acid accessibility of seaweed proteins, enhancing their nutritional quality. Both seaweed and protein extracts exhibit bioavailability comparable to casein, with no clear association between protein/peptide molecular size distribution and bioavailability after digestion.