Identification of a novel angiotensin-I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide corresponding to a tryptic fragment of bovine beta-lactoglobulin.

The angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity of a tryptic digest of bovine beta-lactoglobulin (beta-lg) was investigated. Intact beta-lg essentially did not inhibit ACE while the tryptic digest gave an 84.3% inhibition of ACE. Peptide material eluting between 20 and 25% acetonitrile during C18 solid-phase extraction of the beta-lg tryptic digest inhibited ACE by 93.6%. This solid-phase extraction fraction was shown by mass spectroscopy to contain beta-lg f(142-148). This peptide had an ACE IC50 value of 42.6 micromol/l. The peptide was resistant to further digestion with pepsin and was hydrolysed to a very low extent with chymotrypsin. The contribution of specific amino acid residues within the peptide to ACE inhibitory activity and the potential application of this peptide as a nutraceutical is discussed.