Blanca Hernández-Ledesma

Spanish National Research Council | CSIC · Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación

Inflammatory and oxidative processes are tightly regulated by innate and adaptive immune systems, which are involved in the pathology of a diversity of chronic diseases. Soybean peptides, such as lunasin, have emerged as one of the most hopeful food-derived peptides with a positive impact on health. The aim was to study the potential antioxidant an...

It is estimated that by 2050, the world’s population will exceed 10 billion people, which will lead to a deterioration in global food security. To avoid aggravating this problem, FAO and WHO have recommended dietary changes to reduce the intake of animal calories and increase the consumption of sustainable, nutrient-rich, and calorie-efficient prod...

The estimated increase in world population will lead to a deterioration in global food security, aggravated in developing countries by hidden hunger resulting from protein deficiency. To reduce or avoid this crisis, a dietary shift towards the consumption of sustainable, nutrient-rich, and calorically efficient food products has been recommended by...

Due to the increase of world population, the demand for protein of animal origin is expected to double by 2050. However, the production of animal (meat, fish, and dairy) products has been associated to negative environmental impacts. This issue joined to new consumer trends towards healthy diets, has increased the search for plant protein sources a...

The estimated and concerning rise in world population over the next few years and the consequent increase in food demand will lead to a deterioration in global food security. To avoid or reduce this world crisis, informed and empowered consumers are turning to sustainable and nutrient-rich foods that substitute animal products, also reducing their...

The ability of multifunctional food-derived peptides to act on different body targets make them promising alternatives in the prevention/management of chronic disorders. The potential of Erythrina edulis (pajuro) protein as a source of multifunctional peptides was proven. Fourteen selected synthetic peptides identified in an alcalase hydrolyzate fr...

Cancer has become one of the main public health problems worldwide, demanding the development of new therapeutic agents that can help reduce mortality. Lunasin is a soybean peptide that has emerged as an attractive option because its preventive and therapeutic actions against cancer. In this review, we evaluated available research on lunasin’s stru...

Diet plays an unquestionable role in the growth, development, and maintenance of all body functions [...]

In recent years, peptides have received increased interest in pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and various other fields [...].

The dynamic changes in saliva flow and composition (pH, total protein capacity (TPC), total polyphenol index (TPI) and saliva antioxidant activity (SAOX)) after the exposure of the oral cavity to aromatized wine matrices with different chemical compositions (dealcoholized, alcoholized, and synthetic wines) have been investigated. For this, stimulat...

Inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune dysbalance are common disturbed states at mucosal surfaces that underlay the pathology of several gastrointestinal (GI) disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nowadays, gut health is not only regarded as the absence of GI complaints but also a key approach to maintain general well-being status...

In recent years, the potential of antiaging interventions that are effective against age-related diseases is gaining increased scientific interest. In this chapter, contribution of wholegrain-based foods can be considered as part of antiaging dietary interventions that are effective against age-related diseases is discussed. Naturally occurring com...

Edible insects are of current interest as an alternative source of proteins, even though they offer more opportunities beyond proteins and nutrients. Thus studies concerning the potential biological properties of edible insects have begun to progressively increase in the last few years. A diversity of bioactivities are being more clearly demonstrat...

Bioactive peptides have been recognized as an important category of functional food ingredients, which exert a potential impact on human health beyond their nutritional value. They can exert benefits on different body systems, including the circulatory, nervous, gastrointestinal, and metabolic systems, because of their multiple demonstrated biologi...

Multifunctional peptides, capable of acting on different body systems through multiple mechanisms of action, offer many advantages over monofunctional peptides, including lower adverse side effects and costs. Erythrina edulis (pajuro) is a legume with a large number of high-quality proteins, of which their potential as a source of antioxidant pepti...

This study aimed at determining the effect of cocoa proteins (CP) on the blood pressure, using in silico, in vitro and in vivo approaches. The in silico assay showed 26 Criollo cocoa peptides with alignment in the Blast® analysis. Peptide sequences ranged from 6 to 16 amino acids, with molecular weight ranging from 560.31 to 1548.76 Da. The peptide...

In addition to their nutritional and physiological role, proteins are recognized as the major compounds responsible for the rheological properties of food products and their stability during manufacture and storage. Furthermore, proteins have been shown to be source of bioactive peptides able to exert beneficial effects on human health. In recent y...

Scope: Lunasin is a soybean bioactive peptide with a variety of beneficial properties against chronic disorders. However, its effect in human primary intestinal cells remains unknown. Hence, we aimed to characterize its ex vivo biological activity in the human intestinal mucosa. Methods and results: Human intestinal biopsies, obtained from healt...

Sacha Inchi (SI) (Plukenetia spp.) is an Amazonian-originary nut, used for centuries as food for the native people of the Amazon rainforest that is attracting attention worldwide as a functional food. Because of its high nutritional value, SI is considered as a “super food”. In addition to its high content of polyunsaturated oil, SI is a good sourc...

Background Recognizing vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease (AD) requires from non-invasive, simple, and inexpensive markers that can be easily obtained in primary care settings. While saliva meets all these requirements, there is lack of evidence linking salivary constituents to in vivo AD pathology in aging. Methods We examined the potential of...

During cell metabolism, oxygen is partially reduced to reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a physiological role in cellular processes, including proliferation, cell cycle and death, and signal transduction [...]

The aim of this study was to determine the pancreatic lipase (PL) inhibitory effect of cocoa protein (CP) hydrolysates (CPH) using in silico and in vitro approaches, and an in vivo high-fat diet (HF) obese rat model. The results showed better theoretical affinity on PL for cocoa peptides EEQR, GGER, QTGVQ, and VSTDVNIE released from vicilin and alb...

Food protein-derived bioactive peptides are recognized as valuable ingredients of functional foods and/or nutraceuticals to promote health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases. However, although peptides have been demonstrated to exert multiple benefits by biochemical assays, cell culture, and animal models, the ability to translate the new find...

The gastrointestinal tract represents a specialized interface between the organism and the external environment. Because of its direct contact with lumen substances, the modulation of digestive functions by dietary substances is supported by a growing body of evidence. Food-derived bioactive peptides have demonstrated a plethora of activities in th...

Currently, the associations between oxidative stress, inflammation, hypertension, and metabolic disturbances and non-communicable diseases are very well known. Since these risk factors show a preventable character, the searching of food peptides acting against them has become a promising strategy for the design and development of new multifunctiona...

The polyphenolic content of dehydrated maca (MA) and mashua (M) powders, promising functional ingredients, and their antioxidant activity and inhibition of carbohydrate digestion was evaluated following in vitro gastrointestinal digestion (GID). Moreover, the impact of steaming on bioaccessibility and bioactivity of the M phenolic fraction was inve...

In recent years, peptides have received increased interest in pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics and various other fields [...]

Nowadays, consumers are more conscious of the environmental and nutritional benefits of foods. Pseudocereals grains, edible seeds belonging to dicotyledonous plant species, are becoming a current trend in human diets as gluten-free (GF) grains with excellent nutritional and nutraceutical value. Pseudocereals are a good source of starch, fiber, prot...

The involvement of cancer stem-like cells (CSC) in the tumor pathogenesis has profound implications for cancer therapy and chemoprevention. Lunasin is a bioactive peptide from soybean and other vegetal sources with proven protective activities against cancer and other chronic diseases. The present study focused on the cytotoxic effect of peptide lu...

Cancer has become as one of the most challenged diseases nowadays. Evidence has estimated that about 35% of cancers can be prevented by correct diet, physical activity, and maintenance of appropriate weight. Thus, changes in lifestyle and dietetic habits have been recommended for cancer prevention. In addition, natural or synthetic substances are u...

Gastrointestinal and liver cancers have been ranked as one of the types of cancer with the highest incidence and mortality. Accumulating evidence has revealed the chemopreventive properties of dietary compounds, providing a natural alternative approach for the prevention of cancer. Lunasin is a 43-amino acid peptide identified in soybean and other...

The objective of this work was to evaluate if Cocoa Proteins (CP) from the cocoa-bean were able to reduce factors related to obesity and activated related gene targets against white adipose tissue (WAT) dysfunction in a rat model of hypercaloric diet-induced obesity. The results showed that the administration with 150 mg/kg/day of CP on a hypercalo...

Oxidative stress, inflammation, and hypertension are recognized risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Because of the preventable character of these factors, the searching of dietary compounds with counteracting effects against them would provide a new framework for the development of novel multifunctional foods or nutraceuticals. Lunasin is a...

Background: Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a pseudocereal traditionally cultivated by Andean cultures which production and consumption has increased worldwide in the last decades. Quinoa was defined as “one of the grains of the 21st century” because of its resistance to extreme environmental conditions and its nutritional and functional prop...

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) comprises a group of chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract which precise aetiology remains unknown. Diet is one of the main environmental factors involved in IBD as it modulates both the gut microbiota and the mucosal immune system. The gastrointestinal tract is therefore the main...

Background The gastrointestinal mucosa represents the main interface between dietary components and the organism. Lunasin is a 43-amino acid peptide naturally present in soybean protein with a variety of biological functions demonstrated by in vitro assays, cell cultures and animal models. Nevertheless, its physiological relevance in human primary...

This Special Issue, "Peptides for Health Benefits", will cover a selection of recent research papers, reviews, short communications, as well as perspectives in the field of bioactive peptides. It aims to cover all aspects of peptide research in relation to health promotion. In particular, this Special Issue emphasizes current knowledge and research...

Non-communicable diseases have become the medical challenge of the 21st century because of their high incidence and mortality rates. Accumulating evidence has suggested that the modulation of diet and other lifestyle habits is the best strategy for the prevention of these diseases. An increasing number of dietary compounds have been found to exert...

Definition of a standard method for measuring antioxidant capacity is still a necessity for both researchers and food industry. This study is aimed to evaluate if Folin-Ciocalteu (F-C) method could be reconsidered as suitable for antioxidant potency comparison purposes in food matrices. F-C and four other common tests for measuring antioxidant capa...

Functional foods containing peptides offer the possibility to modulate the absorption of sugars and insulin levels to prevent diabetes. This study investigates the potential of germinated soybean peptides to modulate postprandial glycaemic response through inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), salivary α-amylase, and intestinal α-glucosid...

Amaranth protein concentrate (APC) was hydrolyzed under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions. APC proteins were partially degraded by pepsin at pHs 1.2, 2.0, and 3.2. During the intestinal phase (pepsin/pancreatin enzymes at pH 7.0), no polypeptide bands were observed in the gel, suggesting the susceptibility of amaranth proteins to the action of d...

BACKGROUND The multifactorial origin of many chronic diseases provides a new framework for the development of multifunctional foods. In this study, the effect of in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion of kiwicha (Amaranthus caudatus) proteins on the release of multifunctional peptides was evaluated. RESULTS Gastric digest showed higher angi...

Lupinus mutabilis (tarwi) is a cultivated legume used principally as a protein source in human and animal nutrition. In this study, protein concentrate was obtained from debittered and defatted tarwi seed flour. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed the presence of highly intense bands ranged between 35 and 60 kDa. Tarwi protein concentrate was subjected to t...

Because of the continuous and direct interaction between the digestive tract and foods, dietary compounds represent an interesting source of chemopreventive agents for gastrointestinal health. In this study, the influence of a standardized static in vitro gastrointestinal digestion model on the release of peptides with chemopreventive potential fro...

In this chapter, the health benefits of milk proteins have been reviewed with regard to in vivo studies in different physiological systems. First, effects on disorders related to the metabolic syndrome, that is, hypertension, obesity, type-2 diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia have been tackled. Different levels of evidence are found, the e...

Chronic diseases have become the medical challenge of the 21st century because of their high incidence and mortality rates. Modulation of diet and lifestyle habits is considered as the best strategy for the prevention of these disorders. Health promoting benefits beyond their nutritional effects have been described for multiple dietary compounds. A...

Human jejunal digests after oral ingestion of casein and whey protein were collected by a nasogastric tube and protein degradation and peptide release was compared with that found in the digests of the same substrates using a standardised protocol. No intact casein was detected in the jejunal nor in the in vitro samples taken during the intestinal...

Quinoa protein concentrate (QPC) was extracted and digested under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions. The protein content of QPC was in the range between 52.40 and 65.01% depending on the assay used. Quinoa proteins were almost completely hydrolyzed by pepsin at pH of 1.2, 2.0, and 3.2. At high pH, only partial hydrolysis was observed. During the...

The aim was to investigate the potential of germinated soybean proteins as a source of peptides with anticancer and anti-inflammatory activities produced after simulated gastrointestinal digestion. Protein concentrate from germinated soybean was hydrolysed with pepsin/pancreatin and fractionated by ultrafiltration. Whole digest and fractions >10, 5...

As diabetes is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in epidemic rates, continuous research is being done on development of foods with anti-diabetic activity. In this study, the influence of gastrointestinal digestion of quinoa protein to release peptides with anti-diabetic potential was investigated. Quinoa protein was subjected to an in vitro...

Lunasin is a soybean peptide with demonstrated chemopreventive properties. Upon its oral intake, studies dealing with the effect of the digestive process on lunasin’s properties are crucial. The present study describes, for the first time, the behavior of lunasin and fragments derived from its digestion in the Caco-2 cell monolayer. The sequences S...

Cheese is a rich source of essential nutrients, in particular, proteins, fat, vitamins, and minerals. In addition to their nutritional role, cheese components are also able to exert important health benefits, with calcium, fatty acids, and bioactive peptides being the main players. This chapter presents an updated revision on the health effects of...

Soybean is source of many phytochemicals, including isoflavones, phenolic acids, phospholipids, oligosaccharides, protease inhibitors, lectins, and bioactive peptides. Their demonstrated biological activities have made them to be considered excellent compounds to maintain a good health status preventing chronic disorders. Oxidative stress and infla...

Erythrina edulis Triana ex Micheli is a protein-enriched legume traditionally used for both dietary and medicinal purposes. In this paper, protein concentrate was obtained from the seed flour. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a high number and intensity of bands in the range between 10 and 90 kDa. Neutrase (R), Flavourzyme (R), and Alcalase (R) were used...

Among the most prevalent and costly health conditions, chronic diseases have become the medical challenge of the 21st century, being the management of lifestyle habits defined as the most strategic tool for the prevention of this public issue. Termed as nutraceuticals, several dietary compounds have revealed desirable health-promoting benefits beyo...

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality and disability worldwide. Although great advances in cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and radiation are currently being achieved, their application is associated with numerous and expensive adverse side effects. Epidemiological evidence has demonstrated that the consumption of certain...

Background: There is an increasing interest toward the use of legumes in food industry, mainly due to the quality of their protein fraction. Many legumes are cultivated and consumed around the world, but few data is available regarding the chemical or technological characteristics, and especially on their suitability to be fermented. Nevertheless,...

Proteases from the tentacles of the sea cucumber Isostichopusfuscus were partially purified and used to produce antioxidant peptides from body wall proteins of this marine species. Three proteins (105, 68, and 39 kDa) were identified by SDS-PAGE in the proteolytic extract of the tentacles. Protein hydrolyzates were generated with gelatin and crude...

Lunasin is a naturally-occurring peptide with demonstrated chemopreventive, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. To exert these activities, orally ingested lunasin is requested to survive proteolytic attack of digestive enzymes to reach target tissues in active form/s. Preliminary studies suggested the protective role of protease inhibitor...

We would like to warmly thank all authors for their excellent contribution and the reviewers for their fundamental work that have made possible the publication of this special issue.

Milk is the most complete food for mammals, as it supplies all the energy and nutrients needed for the proper growth and development of the neonate. Milk is a source of many bioactive components, which not only help meeting the nutritional requirements of the consumers, but also play a relevant role in preventing various disorders. Milk-derived pro...

Naturally-occurring serine protease inhibitors of the Bowman-Birk family exert their potential chemopreventive and/or therapeutic properties via protease inhibition. In this study, we have quantified the amounts of active BBI isoinhibitors, IBB1 and IBBD2, in six commercial soymilks. By using cation exchange chromatography, the BBI isoinhibitors we...

Oxidative stress is one of the most critical factors implicated in many disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, such as inflammatory bowel diseases and colon cancer. Lunasin is a seed peptide known by its properties against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The present study investigated the in vitro antioxidant activity of this peptide that dem...

Part of the IFT Press series, this book reviews the myriad published information on bioactive components derived from marine foods, enabling researchers and product developers to select appropriate functional ingredients for new products. Chapters cover foods and food ingredients from both animal and plant marine sources, focusing on those which de...

Sea cucumber is a benthic marine organism distributed worldwide and used as food in several Asian countries. The species Isostichopus badionotus is captured intensively off the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Boiled I. badionotus was subjected to in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion using pepsin and a pepsin-Corolase PP (R) mixture. ACE-inhibit...

Cancer has become one the most common causes of death in developed countries and has been defined as the medical challenge of our times. Accumulating evidence support the notion that prevention can be a major component of cancer control. Chemoprevention, a relatively new and promising strategy to prevent cancer, is defined as the use of natural and...

Although the potential anticancer effect of lunasin has been demonstrated for over a decade, little progress has been made to test in vivo efficacy of purified lunasin in large-scale animal studies or human clinical trials. The main limitations of these studies have been the lack of a method for obtaining gram quantities of highly purified lunasin...