Plasmin digestion of photooxidized milk proteins.

Plasmin-mediated hydrolysis of 6 different milk protein preparations [alpha(S)-casein (alpha(S1) + alpha(S2)), beta-casein, kappa-casein, alpha-lactalbumin, beta-lactoglobulin, and lactoferrin] was found to be very dependent on photooxidation of the said proteins. Changes in plasmin proteolysis were investigated in a peptide-mapping study applying liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The changes were seen in the formation of peptides formed by plasmin-mediated hydrolysis after photooxidation, which was initiated with the naturally occurring photosensitizer riboflavin in all the milk protein preparations studied. The changes in the plasmin-mediated hydrolysis of photooxidized proteins are discussed in relation to changes introduced in the protein structure upon photooxidation. Plasmin-mediated hydrolysis of alpha(S)-casein, consisting of a mixture of alpha(S1)- and alpha(S2)-casein and a preparation of beta-casein, was most highly affected by photooxidation, which is in agreement with the fact that those 2 proteins have been found to be most labile toward photooxidation. Changes in the formation of potential angiotensin-I-converting enzyme-inhibitory peptides as well as peptides proposed to have antibactericidal activities by plasmin were observed by oxidation of milk proteins before plasmin-mediated hydrolysis.