Numerous studies have shown that bovine hemoglobin, a protein from slaughterhouse waste, has important biological potential after conventional enzymatic hydrolysis. However, the active peptides could not be considered pure since they contained mineral salts. Therefore, an optimized multi-step process of electrodialysis with bipolar membranes (EDBM) was carried out to produce discolored and demineralized peptides without the addition of chemical agents. The aim of this study was to test the antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant activities of discolored and demineralized bovine hemoglobin hydrolysates recovered by EDBM and to compare them with raw and discolored hydrolysates derived from conventional hydrolysis. The results demonstrate that discolored-demineralized hydrolysates recovered from EDBM had significant antimicrobial activity against many bacterial (gram-positive and gram-negative) and fungal (molds and yeast) strains. Concerning antibacterial activity, lower MIC values for hydrolysates were registered against Staphylococcus aureus, Kocuria rhizophila and Listeria monocytogenes. For antifungal activity, lower MIC values for hydrolysates were registered against Paecilomyces spp., Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Mucor racemosus. Hemoglobin hydrolysates showed fungicidal mechanisms towards these fungal strains since the MFC/MIC ratio was ≤4. The hydrolysates also showed a potent antioxidant effect in four different antioxidant tests. Consequently, they can be considered promising natural, low-salt food preservatives. To the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have identified the biological properties of discolored and demineralized bovine hemoglobin hydrolysates.
Keywords: antibacterial activity; antifungal activity; antioxidant activity; bovine hemoglobin; demineralized hydrolysates; discolored-demineralized hydrolysates; electrodialysis with bipolar membrane.