Short communication: Peptide profiling in cheeses packed using different technologies

Peptides released during the shelf life of cheeses packaged using 2 different technologies, vacuum packaging (VP) and modified-atmosphere packaging (MAP), were identified by on-line reverse phase-HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 22 peptides from the N-terminal domain of αS1-casein (CN) and 26 from β-CN were identified, the latter more evenly distributed over the whole sequence. Peptides were monitored during the shelf life of these cheeses when stored at 4°C, revealing that the peptide profile changed significantly with the storage time. Qualitative differences between VP and MAP cheeses were only found for 3 αS1-CN peptides, which were absent in MAP cheeses. Semiquantitative analysis of peptides revealed some differences between cheeses packaged using different technologies. However, evolution of peptides during storage followed a common trend in both types of cheeses. In addition, the presence of certain peptides, which had been previously described because of their potential bioactivity, is illustrated. For instance, some of the identified peptides had been previously reported as antihypertensive peptides, such as peptide αS1-CN (1-9) or β-CN f(201-209).