Lactobacillus plantarum ZLC-18 fermentation improve tyrosinase inhibition activity and antioxidant capacity in soybean hulls

Soybean hulls, the main byproduct in soybean processing, have many biological activities. However, the value of this byproduct is still far from being fully exploited. In this study, we investigated the anti-tyrosinase and antioxidant capacities in soybean hulls fermented by Lactobacillus plantarum ZLC-18 (L. plantarum ZLC-18). We found that L. plantarum ZLC-18 fermentation could markedly improve the anti-tyrosinase and antioxidant activities of soybean hulls. The anti-tyrosinase and antioxidant activities were positively correlated with the total phenolic and flavonoid contents. UPLC-MS analysis suggested that phenolic compounds (daidzin, genistin, vanillic acid and so on) were increased in soybean hulls after fermentation, and some of these compounds were shown to have anti-tyrosinase and antioxidant activities. Our study demonstrates that fermentation is an efficient strategy to enhance the bioactive function of soybean hulls. Moreover, this study provides evidence that soybean hulls can be used as a kind of functional food ingredient, thereby improving their economic benefits.