Digestive enzyme inhibitors from grains as potential components of nutraceuticals

Inhibitor activity against digestive enzymes, such as α-amylase from human saliva and porcine pancreas and trypsin from bovine pancreas, of three cereal grains species were studied as potential components of nutraceuticals strengthening diabetes and obesity treatment. Significant differences were demonstrated: the highest antitryptic activity was found in the grain of the rye varieties studied, whereas the grain of the wheat varieties had significantly higher ability to inhibit α-amylases from human saliva and porcine pancreas. Additionally, seeds of Puma, one of the studied wheat varieties, demonstrated especially low antitryptic activity. Such a beneficial arrangement of inhibitors, i.e. high level of inhibitors of α-amylase from human saliva and porcine pancreas and simultaneously low level of trypsin inhibitors from bovine pancreas, indicate the possibility of the application of seeds with such properties to the preparation of nutraceuticals for people with obesity or suffering from diabetes.