In vitro simulated digestion increased the antioxidant, antidiabetic and antihypertensive properties of mushroom (Pleurotus spp.) and its protein concentrate.

The alternative protein market has put edible mushrooms in highlight due their nutritional and organoleptic characteristics, and biological properties. The latter are especially linked to the possibility of generating bioactive peptides that can be defined as specific sequences of amino acids with low molecular weight that exert beneficial physiological effects on the body. These molecules can be released after fermentation and enzymatic processes or even during a gastrointestinal digestion. Biological properties of whole Pleurotus spp. mushroom and its protein concentrate submitted to in vitro simulated digestion were investigated. Fresh mushrooms were purchased from the local market in Mato Grosso and used in whole form and to obtain a protein concentrate. The freeze-dried samples were submitted in vitro simulated digestion (INFOGEST) and evaluated to their biological properties (antioxidant, antidiabetic, antihypertensive). Comparatively, whole mushroom showed higher antioxidant properties than protein concentrate. However, gastrointestinal digestion resulted in more significant changes for protein concentrate, reaching increases of 111, 220 and 75% for the activities measured by the ABTS, DPPH and FRAP methods, respectively, while the antioxidant properties of whole mushroom increase 56, 33 and 68% for the same methods. The antidiabetic properties of protein concentrate showed greater potential for alpha-amylase and alpha-glucosidase inhibitions, reaching about 80 and 71% inhibition, respectively, against 63 and 62%, for the non-digested whole mushroom. Digestion reduced alpha-amylase inhibition by 7 and 6% for whole mushroom and protein concentrate, respectively, and increased the alpha-glucosidase inhibition by 38% for whole mushroom and 10% for protein concentrate. Digestion didn’t affect the antihypertensive properties (angiotensin-converting enzyme – ACE inhibition) of protein concentrate; however, it reduced this activity by 56% for whole mushroom. The results suggest that digestion of Pleurotus spp. mushroom, especially for the protein concentrate, can improve its bioactive properties, which is an excellent indication for use these molecules for therapeutic purposes.