Antioxidant and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activity in fresh goat cheese prepared without starter culture: a preliminary study

Proteolysis is specific for each type of cheese and might be affected by heat treatment. Studies have shown the ability of cheeses to produce bioactive peptides with antioxidant or anti-hypertension bioactivities, which have been related to ripening time or activity of starter cultures, however, little is known about their production in fresh cheeses. Our objective was to evaluate antioxidant and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory (ACEI) activities in fresh goat cheeses elaborated without starters using pasteurized and raw milk from different seasons. Proteolysis was measured by acid-soluble nitrogen, non-protein nitrogen and ethanol-soluble nitrogen indexes, using the Kjeldahl method and reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). Each fraction's antioxidant and ACEI activities were measured. Analysed cheeses showed high biological activities and slight differences between them were associated with heat treatment. Our results suggested that fresh goat cheese had important biological activity due to peptides present originally in the milk or released by rennet action during cheese manufacture.