In this study, hydrolyzed whey was obtained using pancreatin as the proteolytic enzyme, and its antihypertensive activity was evaluated. The hydrolysis was carried out for 7 h, and the resulting products were analyzed for antihypertensive in vitro activity by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). The hydrolysate demonstrated a 42 ± 3.38% ACE inhibition after 7 h of hydrolysis, indicating the effective release of bioactive peptides. Electrophoresis analysis revealed peptides with molecular weights below 6.5 kDa, consistent with known antihypertensive peptides. The hydrolysate was then incorporated as a functional ingredient into a dairy beverage. However, the beverage’s ACE-inhibitory activity was lower, reaching only 11.88 ± 0.26% inhibition. However, the dairy beverage retained low-molecular-weight peptides. Despite the lower antihypertensive activity in the final product, the results highlight the potential of hydrolyzed whey as a functional ingredient for developing functional dairy beverages. For that reason, the research aimed to evaluate the potential of a dairy beverage prepared with whey hydrolyzed by pancreatin as a carrier of antihypertensive peptides.
Olivares et al. (2026) studied this question.