It is well recognized that apart from their basic nutritional role, many food proteins contain encrypted within their primary structures, peptide sequences capable of modulating specific physiological functions. Because of their potential therapeutic values, the possibility of obtaining such peptides by germination and digestion of lentil proteins was explored. In vitro gastrointestinal digestion of lentil and whey proteins were found to contain comparable ACE inhibitory activities with 75.5±1.9 and 91.4±2.3% inhibition, respectively. Highest ACE inhibitory activity in lentil was observed after 5 days of germination (84.3±1.2%). Purification by HPLC resulted in detection of several inhibitory peptides with low IC 50 values. These results demonstrate that lentil proteins are a good source of peptides with ACE inhibitory activity that can be released by germination or gastrointestinal digestion. Germinated lentil proteins had improved solubility and water and fat adsorption properties. Foaming capacity of germinated lentil proteins was higher than that of non-germinated seeds, while the foam stability decreased progressively. These improved functional properties make germinated lentil proteins a useful product to be used in food formulations in order to enhance their quality. Keywords: ACE inhibitory peptides; lentil protei germination; whey protei digestion, functional properties.
