Profile Assessment of Bioactive Peptides in the Greek Traditional Cheese “Tsalafouti”
Ermioni Meleti,
Maria Alexandraki,
Antonia Samara,
Cecilia Loffi,
Tullia Tedeshi,
Gianni Galaverna,
Athanasios Manouras,
Michalis Koureas,
Eleni Malissiova
Affiliations
Ermioni Meleti
PPS Biotechnology—Quality Assessment in Nutrition and the Environment, Biochemistry-Biotechnology Department, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece
Maria Alexandraki
Food of Animal Origin Laboratory, Animal Science Department, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece
Antonia Samara
PPS Biotechnology—Quality Assessment in Nutrition and the Environment, Biochemistry-Biotechnology Department, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece
Cecilia Loffi
Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy
Tullia Tedeshi
Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy
Gianni Galaverna
Department of Food and Drug, University of Parma, 43121 Parma, Italy
Athanasios Manouras
Food Chemistry and Technology Laboratory, Nutrition and Dietetics Department, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece
Michalis Koureas
Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece
Eleni Malissiova
Food of Animal Origin Laboratory, Animal Science Department, University of Thessaly, 41500 Larisa, Greece
In the Greek regions of Agrafa and Tzoumerka, Tsalafouti, a traditional spreadable cheese made from goat’s and sheep’s milk is produced. This product has emerged in recent years as a result of the campaign to acquire Geographical Indication. This study aimed to assess the biopeptide profile of Tsalafouti cheese in order to highlight its nutritional value. Using HPLC-MS, bioactive peptides in Tsalafouti cheese samples were identified and classified according to their bioactivity. The biopeptides detected are known to present antibacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, anti-thrombotic, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory activities, while ACE enzyme and dipeptidyl-4 (DPP-IV) inhibitors were also identified. Based on these results, Tsalafouti cheese presents an interesting bioactive peptides profile that may act as special motivation for consumers to choose this specific cheese.
