Effects of Maillard reaction on bioactivities promotion of anchovy protein hydrolysate: The key role of MRPs and newly formed peptides with basic and aromatic amino acids

Among multiple ways to ameliorate Alzheimer's disease, antioxidant and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition are considered as two primary approaches. Previous studies have indicated that anchovy protein hydrolysate (APH) exhibited strong antioxidant and AChE inhibitory capacities, and Maillard reaction could significantly (p < 0.05) improve its bioactivities. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between chemical compounds and bioactivities (antioxidant and AChE inhibitory capacities) by analyzing the main components of APH with or without Maillard reaction. GC-MS and UPLC-MS/MS results showed that newly formed heterocyclic components and rearrangement peptides with basic or aromatic amino acids in low molecular weight fraction during Maillard reaction might have contribution to the greater ABTS·+ scavenging and AChE inhibitory capacities of Maillard reaction products (MRPs) derived from APH and ribose (APH-M). Therefore, Maillard reaction could raise the bioactivity of hydrolysates which has important guiding significance for the production of polypeptide health care products.