Novel Antioxidant Peptides from Fermented Whey Protein by Lactobacillus rhamnosus B2-1: Separation and Identification by in Vitro and in Silico Approaches

, increasing the cell viability from 49.02 ± 3.05% to 88.59 ± 10.49%, 82.38 ± 19.16%, and 85.15 ± 7.19%, respectively. Moreover, the peptides boosted the activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase in damaged cells and reduced reactive oxygen species levels. The molecular docking studies highlighted that these antioxidant peptides efficiently bound to key amino acids in the Kelch domain of Keap1, thereby preventing the interaction between Keap1 and Nrf2. In conclusion, PKYPVEPF, LEASPEVI, and YPFPGPIHNS demonstrated substantial antioxidant activity, suggesting their potential for widespread application as functional food additives and ingredients.