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The protein extracted from lecithin-free egg yolk, normally discarded by lecithin processing plants, was hydrolyzed with the aid of Alcalase, a commercial enzyme. The hydrolysate was separated through a series of ultrafiltration membranes with molecular weight cutoffs of 10, 5, and 1 kDa; and three types of permeates including 10 K (permeate from 10 kDa), 5 K (permeate from 5 kDa), and 1 K (permeate from 1 kDa) were obtained. The antioxidative efficacy of hydrolysates so obtained was investigated and compared with α-tocopherol. Furthermore, two different peptides showing strong antioxidative activity were isolated from the hydrolysates by using consecutive chromatographic methods including ion exchange chromatography on a SP-Sephadex C-25 column, gel filtration on a Sephadex G-25 column, and high-performance liquid chromatography on an octadecylsilane column. The purity of the peptides was identified using capillary electrophoresis. The isolated peptides were composed of 10 and 15 amino acid residues, and both contained a leucine residue at their Nterminal positions.Paper no. J9748 in JAOCS 78, 651-656 (June 2001).

Chitin is a natural polysaccharide of major importance. This biopolymer is synthesized by an enormous number of living organisms; considering the amount of chitin produced annually in the world, it is the most abundant polymer after cellulose. The most important derivative of chitin is chitosan, obtained by partial deacetylation of chitin under alkaline conditions or by enzymatic hydrolysis. Chitin and chitosan are known to have important functional activities but poor solubility makes them difficult to use in food and biomedicinal applications. Chitooligosaccharides (COS) are the degraded products of chitosan or chitin prepared by enzymatic or chemical hydrolysis of chitosan. The greater solubility and low viscosity of COS have attracted the interest of many researchers to utilize COS and their derivatives for various biomedical applications. In light of the recent interest in the biomedical applications of chitin, chitosan, and their derivatives, this review focuses on the preparation and biological activities of chitin, chitosan, COS, and their derivatives.

Bovine skin gelatin was hydrolyzed with sequential protease treatments in the order of Alcalase, Pronase E, and collagenase using a three-step ultrafiltration membrane reactor. The molecular weight distributions of the first, second, and third hydrolysates were 4.8-6.6, 3.4-6.6, and 0.9-1.9 kDa, respectively. The angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity of the third hydrolysate (IC(50) = 0.689 mg/mL) was higher than that of the first and second hydrolysates. Two different peptides showing strong ACE inhibitory activity were isolated from the hydrolysate using consecutive chromatographic methods including gel filtration chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The isolated peptides were composed of Gly-Pro-Leu and Gly-Pro-Val and showed IC(50) values of 2.55 and 4.67 microM, respectively.