Unlocking Casein Bioactivity: Lactic Acid Bacteria and Molecular Strategies for Peptide Release

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Biotechnology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Bovine β-casein contains encrypted bioactive peptides with various health benefits like antihypertensive and antimicrobial properties.
• Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are key in releasing these peptides during fermentation, but yields differ significantly between strains due to varying protease systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize strategies employing synthetic biology, molecular biotechnology, and systems-level approaches for enhanced discovery and production of β-casein-derived bioactive peptides.
• To review recent advancements in LAB-based methods, both natural and engineered, for efficient bioactive peptide release.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing genome engineering tools like CRISPR/Cas systems to modify LAB gene expression and metabolic pathways.
• Employing inducible expression platforms for controlled, on-demand peptide production.
• Leveraging cell-free systems for rapid prototyping and high-throughput screening of LAB lysates.
• Applying multi-omics approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics) for strain optimization and bottleneck identification.

Main Results:

• Engineered LAB strains and cell-free systems show promise for increasing the yield and specificity of bioactive peptide production.
• Multi-omics data aids in understanding and overcoming limitations in natural peptide release pathways.
• Synthetic biology tools enable precise control over peptide release mechanisms in LAB.

Conclusions:

• Advances in biotechnology and systems approaches offer powerful tools to overcome limitations in LAB-based bioactive peptide production.
• These engineered strategies pave the way for developing novel functional fermented foods with targeted bioactivities.
• Optimized production of β-casein bioactive peptides can lead to next-generation functional foods with improved health benefits.