Selective production of short-chain bioactive peptides from almond protein by enzymatic membrane bioreactor

• Grant number: 24/23463-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: October 01, 2025
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Marcus Bruno Soares Forte
• Grantee: Marcus Bruno Soares Forte
• Host Investigator: Juliana Maria Leite Nobrega de Moura Bell
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of California, Davis (UC Davis), United States

Abstract

Enzymatic hydrolysis is the most promising method for obtaining plant protein hydrolysates with target functional and biological properties. However, enzyme recovery and peptide separation remain significant challenges in this field. In this context, this project aims to integrate almond protein enzymatic hydrolysis and an enzymatic membrane bioreactor. This approach will enable the separation of target peptides from the starting material and enzyme and also enable enzyme reutilization, with the immobilized enzyme. A screening of protease immobilization on polyether sulfone membranes will be performed. The best-performing immobilized protease will then be applied in a process for the production of short-almond peptides and integrated separation. Next, the almond protein hydrolysates, a fraction rich in short-chain peptides, will be characterized in terms of molecular weight. Finally, biological properties, immunoreactivity and digestibility of the hydrolysates will also be carried out. This project has the potential to generate a selective process for producing short-chain peptides with target functional properties by integrating almond protein hydrolysis with an enzymatic membrane bioreactor, enabling efficient peptide separation and enzyme reutilization. Enzyme reuse will be possible due to protease immobilization on the membrane, thereby decreasing the final process cost. Furthermore, besides sharing knowledge between the two research groups in both institutions (Brazil and USA), publications in relevant journals and patents are also expected as a result of this new research collaboration.