Peptides formed during simulated digestion of human colostrum: prospection of bioactivity

Abstract Breast milk is known to contain bioactive peptides that are released during digestion, being a major source of bioactive peptides to the new-born, some of which act against invading pathogens. However, the formation of bioactive peptides during digestion of human colostrum remains largely uninvestigated. This study aimed to investigate the formation of peptides during simulated digestion of human colostrum from adult women, and to prospect antimicrobial peptides. For this purpose, we used high-resolution mass spectrometry to monitor the release of peptides during simulated digestion. Bioinformatics was used for the prospection of antimicrobial activity of peptides. During simulated digestion (oral, gastric, and duodenal phases), 2318 peptide sequences derived from 112 precursor proteins were identified. At the end of simulated digestion, casein-derived peptide sequences were the most frequently observed. Among precursors, some proteins were seen for the first time in this study. The resulting peptides were rich in proline, glutamine, valine, and leucine residues, providing characteristic traits of antimicrobial peptides. From bioinformatics analysis, seven peptides showed potentially high antimicrobial activity towards bacteria, viruses, and fungi, from which the latter was the most prominent predicted activity. Antimicrobial peptides released during digestion may provide a defence platform with controlled release for the new-born.