Olive Pomace Extract Contains Low Molecular Weight Peptides and Possesses ACE Inhibitory Activity.

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biochemistry
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Olive pomace, a byproduct of olive oil production, is rich in bioactive compounds.
• Low molecular weight (LMW) peptides are increasingly recognized for their health benefits.
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition is a key target for managing hypertension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the ACE inhibitory activity of olive pomace aqueous extracts.
• To identify and characterize bioactive LMW peptides from olive pomace.
• To assess the potential of olive pomace as a source of peptides for nutritional and pharmacological use.

Main Methods:

• Aqueous extraction of olive pomace and isolation of LMW fraction (<3 kDa).
• Analysis of LMW fraction using nanoscale liquid chromatography-Orbitrap coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).
• Peptide identification via database searching (Peaks DB, BLAST) and de novo sequencing; ACE inhibitory activity prediction (BIOPEP).

Main Results:

• Olive pomace yielded 100.2 ± 7.9 mg of LMW peptides per 100 g.
• The LMW fraction exhibited potent ACE inhibitory activity (IC50 = 3.57 ± 0.22 µg prot/mL).
• Thirty new peptides (7-17 amino acids, 778-1354 Da) were identified, with ten exclusively by de novo sequencing.

Conclusions:

• Olive pomace possesses significant ACE inhibitory activity.
• It is a valuable source of bioactive LMW peptides with predicted biological functions.
• Further research into the in vivo effects of these peptides is warranted for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications.