A multi-omics approach to assess production of the valuable peptides and amino acids in porcine blood protein hydrolysate

Abstract

Animal blood is an unutilized byproduct of the meat processing industry that could potentially be exploited as a bioresource. This study analyzed the enzymatic hydrolysates of porcine whole blood for the possible production of amino acids. Porcine whole blood was hydrolyzed by endo- and exo-protease cocktails, and the crude hydrolysate filtered and a dried powder generated. The peptide contents, free amino acids, and their derivative compositions, diaminopeptides, residual antibiotics, and microbiome communities were then analyzed. The proteolysis reaction converted proteins with a molecular mass <750 m/z to peptides and enhanced free-form amino acids. LC-MS-based metabolomics showed that leucine and glutamic acid contents were higher in the blood hydrolysate than other amino acids. Furthermore, in the proteolyzed whole blood there were diverse bacterial species, predominantly from the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. Blood byproducts could thus potentially be utilized to provide valuable compounds for bioactive food supplements.