Impact of oxidation on the cardioprotective properties of the bioactive dipeptide AW in dry-cured ham

Abstract

Unbalanced oxidative reactions occurred during the dry-curing period of ham can trigger unpleasant taste. Additionally, salt might mediate in these reactions that cause the oxidation of some of the generated peptides acting as a pro-oxidant. The influence of the processing and oxidation on the release of peptides and bioactivity have been dimly investigated. In this study, the dipeptide AW, and its oxidized form AWox were quantitated in dry-cured ham. AW concentration reached 4.70 mg/g of dry-cured ham at 24 months of traditional dry-curing. The intact and the oxidized peptide forms accumulated to 5.12 and 6.80 µg/g dry-cured ham in 12-months low-salted hams, respectively, while they were undetectable in 12 months-traditionally elaborated hams. Moreover, oxidation affected the antioxidant properties depending on the in vitro assay and reduced the AW potential as antihypertensive. This study reports the potential role of the dry-cured ham-derived peptide AW on cardiovascular health and the relevance of post-oxidation on its bioactivity.

Keywords: Ala-Trp; Antihypertensive; Bioactivity; Dry-cured ham; Mass spectrometry; Oxidation.