• Zinc-chelating peptides from food Hydrolyzed Proteins
  • Mina Morovati,1 Mahsa Heidari,2,*
    1. Graduated in biochemistry, Malek Ashtar university, Tehran, Iran
    2. Graduated in biochemistry, Malek Ashtar university, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: One of the most common problems in public health is mineral deficient. Zinc is one of the most important minerals in health. Zinc is a vital nutrient that has many uses in humans and animals. Zinc has a structural and biological role in many hormones, proteins, and peptides, Therefore, zinc deficiency in the body causes many disorders. Zinc deficiency causes immune problems, hypogonadism, growth deficiency, neurological dysfunction, skin changes, skin rash, diarrhea and etc. Due to inhibitors such as phytate, zinc is poorly absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract. One of the common products used to supplement zinc in mineral salts such as zinc sulfate. But these products are unstable and also cause gastrointestinal irritation, which makes them difficult to use for a long time. Amino acids such as methionine and histidine have been used to increase the solubility of zinc and increase its bioavailability. However, the use of these amino acids is costly and also has problems such as causing unwanted color reactions and stimulating lipid oxidation. In the meantime, food-derived mineral supplements have become more widely accepted due to public health considerations and dietary preferences. This has led to a significant increase in studies in recent years. In general, metal chelating peptides are purified from proteins hydrolyzed by successive steps of chromatography. These steps include gel filtration chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and immobilized metal affinity chromatography. The high selectivity of immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) has made this technique suitable for purifying peptides and proteases. The benefits of IMAC include its high binding capacity and high recovery. Various studies have investigated the production of zinc amino acid chelates from various food sources such as wheat germ protein, sesame protein, casein phosphopeptides, and oyster protein.
  • Methods: In this study, we used scientific articles about the Separation and identification of zinc-chelating peptides from food hydrolyzed proteins and the importance of zinc as an inorganic supplement in human health
  • Results: Zinc binding to peptides can lead to improved mineral uptake due to damage to the formation of insoluble zinc compounds. It also facilitates zinc transfer in the gastrointestinal tract. Metal chelating peptides can enhance the stability, uptake, and bioavailability of minerals. The results of these studies show that zinc amino acid chelators have better stability than zinc sulfate and have higher bioavailability. Nutrients are also better absorbed in the form of small peptides than free amino acids. Zinc is complexed with phytate and this damages its absorption in the gastrointestinal tract.
  • Conclusion: Animal and plant-derived peptides can be used as a new approach to build nutritional and pharmaceutical supplements for a wide range of communities, especially infants, children, the elderly, and patients. The availability and cheapness of the sources of these peptides and their potential advantages over other supplements make this important for further research and study
  • Keywords: Zinc-binding peptide, Zinc deficiency, Bioavailability, Food Hydrolyzed Proteins