MilkAMP: a comprehensive database of antimicrobial peptides of dairy origin

The number of identified and characterized bioactive peptides derived from milk proteins is increasing. Although many antimicrobial peptides of dairy origin are now well known, important structural and functional information is still missing or unavailable to potential users. The compilation of such information in one centralized resource such as a database would facilitate the study of the potential of these peptides as natural alternatives for food preservation or to help thwart antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. To achieve this goal, we established MilkAMP, a new database that contains valuable information on antimicrobial peptides of dairy origin, including microbiological and physicochemical data. The current release of MilkAMP contains 371 entries, including 9 hydrolysates, 299 antimicrobial peptides, 23 peptides predicted as antimicrobial, and 40 non-active peptides. Freely available at http://milkampdb.org/, this database should be useful to help develop uses of biologically active peptides in both the pharmaceutical and food sectors. As more information about antimicrobial peptides becomes available, the database will be expanded and improved accordingly.