In-vitro physiological activities of peptides derived from underutilised Australian fish species

Australian underutilised fish species, such as silver warehou (Seriollela punctata) and eastern school whiting (Sillago flindersi) as well as fish by-products may be potent sources of bioactive peptides. These species and/or their by-products are often wasted due to their poor technological and textural properties, and not acceptable for consumption by the Australian consumers. Interestingly, these fish wastes possess important nutritional value and physiological benefits, owing to their high protein content. Technological processing and the presence of endogenous enzymes in the fish muscle have the potential to release the so-called bioactive peptides during storage or digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. In the new era of the field of food science and technology, the production of bioactive peptides released from fish wastes is becoming increasingly important to preserve the marine sustainable environment and develop essential functional food to maintain human health as well as preventing the risks of developing certain types of metabolic diseases, like obesity and/or metabolic syndrome. As a result, the main focus of this project was to investigate the controlled hydrolysis of fish muscle proteins from by-catch fish species as a means of producing bioactive peptides with beneficial physiological properties. Important in-vitro bioactivities investigated could be related to the prevention of obesity and associated health complications. They include i) angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE – hypertension) inhibition, ii) trypsin inhibition (satiety-induced) and iii) anti-oxidative (oxidative stress and inflammation-related conditions) activity