Can artisanal “Coalho” cheese from Northeastern Brazil be used as a functional food?

Brazilian artisanal “Coalho” cheeses from six Northeast towns were investigated as a functional food based on their peptide profiles and antioxidant, zinc-binding and antimicrobial activities. The peptides (WSP) from “Coalho” cheese showed high antioxidant activity, the best value of TEAC being 2223 ± 10.10 μM, which means 91.1 ± 0.43% oxidative inhibition and peptide concentration for IC50 of 7 mg/mL (21 μg of peptides) for sample from the town of Correntes. The smallest TEAC value (1896 ± 17 μM), which means 75.9 ± 0.7% oxidative inhibition and IC50 of 10.5 mg/mL (31.5 μg of peptide), was obtained for samples from the town of São Bento do Una. The zinc-binding activities were: Arcoverde (72.21 ± 0.24%) Cachoeirinha (75.02 ± 0.02%), Capoeiras (61.78 ± 0.65%), Correntes (75.47 ± 0.5%), São Bento do Una (75.41 ± 0.15%), and Venturosa (74.36 ± 0.04%). The WSP extracts showed antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All the results obtained suggest that “Coalho” cheese has potential as a functional food.