Hypocholesterolemic and Antidiabetic Activity of Peptide Fractions Obtained by Ultrafiltration of Protein Hydrolysates From Sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Seeds

Abstract

Peptide size is a key factor influencing their biological activity. Taking advantage of this relationship, ultrafiltration (UF) emerges as a valuable tool for fractionating complex peptide mixtures obtained from natural sources. Recent studies have focused on the application of this technology to legumes and oilseeds, with the aim of identifying peptide fractions with bioactive potential. The study is aimed at evaluating the in vitro hypocholesterolemic and antidiabetic activity of peptide fractions of protein hydrolysate from sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds. The results showed that the highest degree of hydrolysis values was at 120 min with both enzymes: alcalase and flavourzyme with 70.06% and 38.75%, respectively. Protein hydrolysates and peptide fractions showed hypocholesterolemic and antidiabetic activity. The UF membrane process helped to obtain low molecular weight peptide fractions such as the 1–3 kDa fraction that showed greater hypocholesterolemic activity of 79% with both enzymes (alcalase and flavourzyme), while the antidiabetic activity was higher in the peptide fractions < 1 kDa obtained from the hydrolysates with alcalase at 80 min and flavourzyme at 100 min of reaction with a 55.65% and 70.18% inhibition of α-amylase. The best value inhibition of α-glucosidase was 34.73% and 46.02% with the peptide fractions < 1 and > 5 kDa obtained from the hydrolysates with alcalase at 20 min and flavourzyme at 100 min. The UF allowed obtaining peptide fractions with different molecular weights with hypocholesterolemic and antidiabetic activity, which could be an alternative for the design and development of nutraceutical products to treatment of chronic degenerative diseases.