In vitro binding of bile salts by lentil flours, lentil protein concentrates and lentil protein hydrolysates

The binding capacity of bile salts by lentil flours produced from two varieties, Blaze and Laird and their protein concentrates and hydrolysates were studied. Sodium cholate, sodium deoxycholate, sodium taurocholate, sodium glycocholate and sodium chenodeoxycholate were tested individually, and their binding interactions with the lentil products were analyzed using the Trinity Biotech Bile Acids Kit 450-10 and compared to cholestyramine. All tested samples bound the bile salts investigated, and the amount of bile salts bound (> 70%) was sometimes greater than that bound by cholestyramine. Overall, there were no major differences in the bile salt binding capacities of similar samples prepared from the two varieties of lentil. In vitro digestion of the lentil proteins by pepsin/trypsin/α-chymotrypsin, alcalase/flavourzyme and papain significantly reduced the bile salt binding capacity compared to the undigested samples except in the case of sodium deoxycholate where no significant differences in bile salt binding were observed before and after hydrolysis. Binding of bile salts has been linked to cholesterol reduction, thus, the ability of the lentil products to bind bile salts is of interest as it may suggest that lentils could potentially have cholesterol-reducing properties.