Hydrolysis kinetics and radical-scavenging activity of gelatin under simulated gastrointestinal digestion

The hydrolysis kinetics and radical-scavenging activity of gelatin were investigated under simulated gastrointestinal digestion in this study. In the gastric phase, the degree of gelatin hydrolysis increased from 0.17% to 1.20%, while the DPPH radical-scavenging rate increased from 6.27% to 24.56%. Further digestion in the intestinal phase brought the degree of hydrolysis and radical-scavenging rate to 26.08% and 44.76%, respectively. After digestion, the gelatin hydrolysates were separated into two fractions by ultrafiltration. The fraction with an average molecular weight of 312.98 Da exhibited the higher yield (78.26%) and radical-scavenging activity (IC50 = 2.09 mg/ml), suggesting the high digestibility and bioactivity of gelatin after oral administration. The fraction was further purified with multi-step column chromatography and identified to be Gly-Pro-Met (303.38 Da) by UPLC–ESI-MS. These results may help us to better understand its physiological effects and to use it properly in foods and pharmaceuticals.