PD143 - IDENTIFICATION OF NEW PEPTIDES FROM PEA PROTEIN ISOLATE IMPLICATED IN BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION

PD143

IDENTIFICATION OF NEW PEPTIDES FROM PEA PROTEIN ISOLATE IMPLICATED IN BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION

C. Lefranc-Millot¹, H. Aboubacar², B. Deracinois², E. Dehay- Harmel^1,*, R. Ravallec², B. Cudennec², C. Flahaut²

¹Life Sciences R&D, Nutrition and Health Department, Roquette, Lestrem, ²UMR Transfrontalière BioEcoAgro-INRAe 1158, Universités de Lille - Liège - Artois, Lille, France

Rationale: During gastrointestinal digestion, dietary proteins, including plant-derived proteins, release peptides and amino acids that may exert beneficial biological activities. Among these, some peptides have shown promise in the management of hypertension and associated cardiovascular risks due to their ability to inhibit the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a critical regulator of blood pressure. This study aimed to identify novel ACE-inhibitory peptides generated during the in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion of a pea protein isolate (NUTRALYS^® S85F, Roquette, France).

Methods: In vitro digestion of the pea protein isolate (PPI) was performed according to the INFOGEST 2.0 protocol adapted for protein substrates. ACE inhibitory activity was assessed using a recombinant human ACE enzyme. The resulting digest (dPPI) was fractionated by strong cation exchange chromatography followed by reversed-phase HPLC. Bioactive fractions were selected based on their ACE-inhibitory activity and their peptide composition was characterized by peptidomics. The bioactivity potential of the identified sequences was further evaluated using a quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) prediction model. Selected peptides were then chemically synthesized, and their ACE-inhibitory activity was validated in vitro.

Results: Several novel peptides derived from pea proteins were identified and demonstrated ACE-inhibitory activity, with promising low IC₅₀ values.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the potential of pea protein-derived peptides in blood pressure regulation and their relevance for cardiovascular disease prevention. These results support the development of plant-based functional ingredients tailored for personalized nutrition and further validation in human studies is required.

Disclosure of Interest: C. Lefranc-Millot Grant / Research Support from: Catherine Lefranc-Millot is an employee of Roquette, who financed the study., H. Aboubacar: None declared, B. Deracinois: None declared, E. Dehay- Harmel Grant / Research Support from: Elodie Dehay-Harmel is an employee of Roquette, who financed the study., R. Ravallec: None declared, B. Cudennec: None declared, C. Flahaut: None declared