Improving In Vitro Digestibility and Reducing Immunogenic Peptide Exposure in Soybean Meal through Exogenous Protease...

Exogenous proteases can enhance protein digestion in feed. However, their precise impact on peptide release and allergenecity remains poorly understood. This study evaluated the effects of a protease blend (Protease I) and a single protease (Protease II) on soybean meal in vitro digestibility and peptide release, using the standardized INFOGEST model. Compared to the Control, Proteases I and II increased protein digestibility from 83-89% to 90-96% and 91-92%, respectively, while enhancing peptide release from typically enzyme-resistant regions. Peptide profiling showed broader sequence coverage of key soybean proteins and revealed distinct substrate specificities. Cleavage site analysis indicated that exogenous enzymes altered the proteolytic pattern. Importantly, epitope sequence comparison revealed that enzymatic hydrolysis reduced the presence of certain allergenic epitopes. These findings suggest that protease supplementation enhances digestibility and may reduce allergenic potential, offering a promising strategy to improve the nutritional quality and safety of plant-based feed proteins.