Production and purification of antioxidant peptides from a mungbean meal hydrolysate by Virgibacillus sp. SK37 proteinase.

Antioxidant peptides of mungbean meal hydrolysed by Virgibacillus sp. SK37 proteinases (VH), Alcalase (AH) and Neutrase (NH) were investigated. The antioxidant activities based on 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) radical-scavenging, ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and metal chelation of VH were comparable to those of NH. VH was purified using ultrafiltration, ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The purified peptides (F37) from VH, which had the highest specific antioxidant activity, consisted of four peptides containing an arginine residue at their C-termini. In addition, the ABTS radical-scavenging activity of the purified peptides (F42) at 0.148mg/ml was comparable to that of 1mM of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). These two fractions were stable over a wide pH (4-10) and temperature (25-121°C) range. Virgibacillus sp. SK37 proteinase is a potential processing-aid for the production of a mungbean meal hydrolyzate with antioxidant properties.