Bioactive peptides from dairy wastewater hydrolysates showed potent blood pressure-lowering and antidiabetic activity, with peptide LRF inhibiting ACE five times more effectively than captopril on a molar basis.
5× more potentTripeptide LRF inhibited ACE (blood pressure enzyme) five times more effectively than the drug captopril
What the researchers found
The tripeptide LRF showed ACE inhibitory potency five times greater than captopril (IC50 11.34 μM vs 63.06 μM), while several other peptides demonstrated dual ACE and DPP-IV inhibition with micromolar IC50 values.
Why it matters
Finding drug-like peptides in industrial waste transforms a pollution problem into a health resource. These multifunctional peptides could lead to natural alternatives or supplements for managing blood pressure and diabetes.
How the study worked
Enzymatic hydrolysis with four enzymes (up to 240 min), LC-MS/MS peptidomics, PLS-DA multivariate statistics, QSAR machine learning scoring, followed by synthesis and experimental validation of 20 selected peptides.
What this study cannot tell us
In vitro activity only; oral bioavailability and in vivo efficacy not tested. Peptides may be degraded during digestion. Dairy wastewater composition varies by facility, affecting reproducibility. Regulatory pathway for waste-derived bioactive peptides is unclear.
How to read the evidence
Well-designed discovery study combining advanced peptidomics, machine learning, and experimental validation. Strong in vitro evidence needing in vivo confirmation.
When this study was published
Published in 2025, showcasing state-of-the-art machine learning-assisted peptide discovery.
The bigger picture
This study demonstrates how combining peptidomics with machine learning can rapidly discover bioactive peptides from undervalued sources. The approach could be applied to other food processing waste streams to find health-promoting peptides.
Questions still open
- Can LRF and other potent peptides survive gastrointestinal digestion to exert effects orally?
- Would these peptides be effective in animal models of hypertension or diabetes?
- Could dairy wastewater processing be optimized to maximize production of the most bioactive peptides?
Common questions
How can dairy waste contain medicines?
Could I get these benefits from drinking milk?
Read the original research
Identification of antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and antioxidant peptides derived from hydrolysates of dairy white wastewaters containing milk proteins using machine learning insights.
Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.), 229, 118496
Citation
Damen, Diala; Aboubacar, Hairati; Cournoyer, Aurore; Bazinet, Mathieu; de Toro-Martín, Juan; Gaaloul, Sami; Hamoudi, Safia; Cudennec, Benoit; Bazinet, Laurent. (2026). Identification of antihypertensive, antidiabetic, and antioxidant peptides derived from hydrolysates of dairy white wastewaters containing milk proteins using machine learning insights.. Food research international (Ottawa, Ont.), 229, 118496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118496