Production of Whey-Derived DPP-IV Inhibitory Peptides Using an Enzymatic Membrane Reactor

Continuous processing in the production of peptides is an area of increased interest. In this study, an enzymatic membrane reactor (EMR) was developed whereby whey protein isolate was used as a substrate to prepare DPP-IV inhibitory and radical scavenging peptides via enzymatic hydrolysis. Two separate enzymes were tested: Corolase 2TS and Protamex in conventional batch processes and the EMR. Neither enzyme was considered effective at producing peptides with radical scavenging activity when measured using a DPPH assay. However, both enzymes were capable of producing DPP-IV inhibitory peptides. Corolase and Protamex both produced similar DPP-IV inhibition levels upon completion of batch experiments. In the EMR process, permeate in the Protamex run showed 33.7% lower IC50 value compared to the continuous Corolase run. Protamex was a better enzyme at producing the DPP-IV inhibitory effect. The continuous (EMR) production method showed an increased productivity over batch for both enzymes.