Author(s): Cunha, Sara A. ; Coscueta, Ezequiel R. ; Alexandre, Agostinho M. R. C. ; Partidário, Ana Maria Carvalho ; Fernández, Naiara ; Paiva, Alexandre ; Silva, Joana Laranjeira ; Pintado, Manuela E.
Date: 2024
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/44110
Origin: Veritati - Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Subject(s): Bioactive peptides; Eicosapentaenoic acid; Functional foods; Microalgae; Marine hydrolysates; Sustainability
Nannochloropsis oceanica is a microalga with relevant protein content, making it a potential source of bioactive peptides. Furthermore, it is also rich in fatty acids, with a special focus on eicosapentaenoic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid mainly obtained from marine animal sources, with high importance for human health. N. oceanica has a rigid cell wall constraining protein extraction, thus hydrolyzing it may help increase its components' extractability. Therefore, a Box-Behnken experimental design was carried out to optimize the hydrolysis. The hydrolysate A showed 67±0.7% of protein, antioxidant activity of 1166±63.7 μmol TE/g of protein and an ACE inhibition with an IC50 of 379 μg protein/mL. The hydrolysate B showed 60±1.8% of protein, antioxidant activity of 775±13.0 μmol TE/g of protein and an ACE inhibition with an IC50 of 239 μg protein/mL. The by-product showed higher yields of total fatty acids when compared to “raw” microalgae, being 5.22 and 1%, respectively. The sustainable developed methodology led to the production of one fraction rich in bioactive peptides and another with interesting EPA content, both with value-added properties with potential to be commercialized as ingredients for different industrial applications, such as functional food, supplements or cosmetic formulations.
