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Evaluating the Efficacy of Germination in Producing Biologically Active Peptides from Garbanzo Beans

Interest in plant-based protein, specifically pulse protein, has grown exponentially. Garbanzo beans (Cicer arietinum) have gained interest, as they are commonly consumed in many parts of the world. Bioactive peptides identified in pulse proteins have been shown to increase in concentration when exposed to various processing methods. Germination has been shown to decrease antinutritional factor concentration and increase production of enzymes, resulting in the production of peptides with potential bioactivity. This experiment aims to evaluate the efficacy of germination in producing and increasing the concentration of bioactive peptides in garbanzo beans. Garbanzo beans (GB) were germinated over a 3-day time period, with samples taken at the start of germination (day 0) and day 3. Soluble protein content was analyzed by Lowry’s protein estimation method and peptide content was measured using a fluorometric peptide assay. SDS-PAGE gel electrophoresis was performed to investigate proteolytic changes in major storage proteins after germination. Soluble protein content and peptide content were both found to significantly increase after three days of germination. Germination of GB was found to increase the total soluble protein and peptide by 1% and 70%, respectively. Gel electrophoresis revealed the occurrence of proteolysis on day 3, with a disappearance of bands at 65 kDa and 100 kDa, corresponding to vicilin and convicilin, respectively, as well as a decrease in bands around 50 kDa, corresponding to legumin subunits. Future work will involve testing the bioactive potential of peptides derived from germinated GB using cell culture assays and identifying potential bioactive peptides via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.Plant-based protein popularity has continued to increase, and there is a large interest in the use of bioactive peptides in pulses. The use of various processing conditions to increase the concentration of bioavailable peptides in pulses can be used to develop functional foods with novel health benefits.