EFFECT OF DIGESTION ON BIOAVALABILITY OF PEPTIDES WITH BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

The potential beneficial effect of the biopeptides depends on its capacity to reach intact the organs where they will carry out their function. However, once in the organism the peptides should cross a series of potential barriers that they should avoid in order to not be inactivated. The digestive enzymes, the absorption through the gastrointestinal tract and the sanguine proteases can produce the hydrolysis of them and to generate inactive fragments or with a higher activity that its sequence precursor. Therefore, it is difficult to establish a direct relationship among the biological activity in vitro and in vivo, due mainly to the peptides bioavailability after oral administration. This should be taken into account at the moment to transfer the results from the investigation to the food industry for the elaboration and commercialization of nutraceutical products.