The antioxidant and chelating activity of Jatropha curcas L protein hydrolysates obtained by alcalase, pepsin and pancreatin treatment

The antioxidant and metal chelating activities in J. curcas protein hydrolysates have been determined. The hydrolysates were produced by treatment of a protein isolate from a non-toxic genotype with the commercial protease preparation Alcalase® and on the other hand the digestive enzymes pepsin - pancreatin, and then, were characterized by fast protein liquid chromatography. The antioxidant activity was determined by measuring inhibition of the oxidative degradation of β-carotene. Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺ chelating activities were also determined. The hydrolysates inhibited the degradation of β-carotene. The lower molecular weight peptide fractions from FPLC had stronger antioxidant activity, which correlated with a higher content in antioxidant and chelating amino acids. The hydrolysates exhibited both Cu²⁺ and Fe²⁺ chelating activity. It was concluded that J. curcas is a good source of antioxidant and metal chelating peptides, which may have a positive impact on the economic value of this crop, as a potential source of food functional components.