Antioxidant Peptides and Protein Hydrolysates from Tilapia: Cellular and In Vivo Evidences for Human Health Benefits.

Antioxidant peptides derived from aquatic organisms have attracted tremendous research interest due to their potential applications in human health. Tilapia is one of the most widely farmed aquaculture species globally. The current understanding of tilapia-derived antioxidant peptides is gradually expanding. This review discusses the current knowledge of peptides and protein hydrolysates derived from tilapia muscle, skin, and scales, whose antioxidant capacity has been validated in various cellular and in vivo models. To date, at least 16 peptides and several hydrolysates have been identified from tilapia that protect human and non-human cell models against oxidative injury. Tilapia hydrolysates and peptide mixtures have also shown protective effects in animal models of oxidative stress-associated diseases and exercise-induced oxidative injury and fatigue. The key mechanisms of tilapia hydrolysates and peptide mixtures involve enhancing antioxidant enzyme activities and suppressing radical production. Notably, such hydrolysates also exerted additional in vivo functions, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, wound healing, and antiaging properties. Taken together, tilapia-derived antioxidant peptides and hydrolysates represent a valuable source of functional ingredients for applications in functional food, dietary supplements, and therapeutic applications. Continued research into their health benefits is warranted in the future.

Effects of Monascus application on in vitro digestion and fermentation characteristics of fish protein.

The aim of this study was to investigate the digestion and fermentation properties of fish protein fermented by Monascus. Semi-dried fish was fermented by applying Monascus purpureus Went M 3.439. Our results show that the Monascus fermentation of the fish protein enriched the free amino acids and achieved a relatively higher glutamate content than the control group. The Monascus treatment promoted the decomposition of the fish protein during in vitro digestion, reduced the ammonia and indole content and tended to increase the propionic acid content during in vitro fermentation. The Monascus treatment considerably changed the gut microbiota composition, and particularly increased the relative abundance of Parabacteroides in the in vitro fermentation model of human distal colon. Consumption of Monascus fermented fish protein could result in positive changes in fermentation metabolites and gut microbiota, which brings potential health benefits.

Effect of ozone pre-conditioning on quality and antioxidant capacity of papaya fruit during ambient storage.

The objective of this study was to compare the physico-chemical characteristics and antioxidant activity of ozone-treated papaya fruit and untreated fruit. Freshly harvested papaya fruit were exposed continuously to ozone fumigation (0, 1.5, 2.5, 3.5 and 5ppm) for 96h prior to ambient storage at 25±3°C and 70±5% relative humidity (RH) for up to 14days. The fruit exposed to 2.5ppm ozone had higher levels of total soluble solids (25.0%), ascorbic acid content (12.4%), ß-carotene content (19.6%), lycopene content (52.1%), and antioxidant activity (30.9%), and also reduced weight loss (11.5%) at day 10 compared to the control. The sensory attributes of papaya treated with 2.5ppm ozone was superior in sweetness and overall acceptability. These results support the application of ozone as a non-thermal and safe food preservation technique for papaya which can benefit both the producers and consumers.