Bioactive Peptides from Astrocaryum murumuru Residual Biomass: Enzymatic Hydrolysis, Characterization, and Functional Activities

Astrocaryum murumuru Mart., an Amazonian oilseed, generates large amounts of protein-rich residual biomass after oil extraction, representing an untapped biotechnological resource. This study aimed to obtain peptide-rich hydrolysates from this biomass via enzymatic hydrolysis (Alcalase and trypsin) and evaluate their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Peptides were successfully generated and characterized by RP-HPLC and MALDI-TOF (m/z ~ 500–5000). Significant functional differentiation between enzymes was observed: Alcalase hydrolysate exhibited the highest DPPH antioxidant capacity (49.82 µmol TE/g), markedly surpassing the trypsin hydrolysate and protein concentrate. Conversely, trypsin hydrolysate displayed potent and selective antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, achieving near-complete growth inhibition (99.85%) at 5 mg/mL, with both hydrolysates showing strong growth inhibition (>92%) at 2.5 mg/mL. This is the first work that reports the use of an A. murumuru biomass to obtain bioactive peptides, and its results demonstrated that this biomass can be better explored and be an option for scientific and technological bioeconomy, generating bioinputs with sustainable applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries.