Antithrombotic and Antioxidant Activity of Amaranth Hydrolysate Obtained by Activation of an Endogenous Protease

Ingestion of diets with antithrombotic and antioxidant components offer a convenient and effective way to prevent and reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. The aim of the present work was to obtain an amaranth hydrolysate by the activation of an endogenous aspartic protease, to establish adequate experimental conditions, and to evaluate its antithrombotic and antioxidant activity in order to assess its potential application as an ingredient in functional foods. The results obtained not only confirmed the presence of an endogenous protease in the amaranth isolate, but also allowed us to select an adequate incubation conditions (pH 2, 40 A degrees C, 16 h). The hydrolysate obtained (degree of hydrolysis 5.3 +/- 0.4 %) showed potential antithrombotic activity (IC50 = 5.9 +/- 0.1 mg soluble protein/mL) and had more antioxidant activity than the isolate, indicating that the activation of the protease released bioactive peptides from amaranth proteins. Decreasing the pH is a simple and cheap process and is another way to obtain potential functional ingredients with bioactive compounds.