Influence of structural and surface properties of whey-derived peptides on zinc-chelating capacity, and in vitro gastric stability and bioaccessibility of the zinc-peptide complexes

Gastrointestinal stability of zinc-peptide complexes is essential for zinc delivery. As peptide surface charge can influence their metal complex stability, we evaluated the zinc-chelating capacity and stability of zinc complexes of whey protein hydrolysates (WPH), produced with Everlase (WPH-Ever; ζ-potential, −39 mV) and papain (WPH-Pap; ζ-potential, −7 mV), during simulated digestion. WPH-Ever had lower amount of zinc-binding amino acids but showed higher zinc-chelating capacity than WPH-Pap. This is attributable to the highly anionic surface charge of WPH-Ever for electrostatic interaction with zinc. Release of zinc during peptic digestion was lower for WPH-Ever-zinc, and over 50% of zinc remained bound in both peptide complexes after peptic-pancreatic digestion. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggests the involvement of carboxylate ion, and sidechain carbon–oxygen of aspartate/glutamate and serine/threonine in zinc-peptide complexation. The findings indicate that strong zinc chelation can promote gastric stability and impede intestinal release, for peptides intended for use as dietary zinc carriers.