Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10

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Trends in Food Science & Technology

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Review

Production of bioactive peptides during soybean fermentation and

their potential health benefits
Samurailatpam Sanjukta, Amit Kumar Rai*
Institute of Bioresources and Sustainable Development, Sikkim Centre, Tadong, 737102, Sikkim, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Article history: Background: Fermented soybean products are consumed in many Asian countries and are one of the
Received 24 July 2015 potential sources of bioactive peptides. Soybean is fermented using bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and lactic
Received in revised form acid bacteria) and fungi (Mucor spp., Aspergillus spp. and Rhizopus spp.), resulting in different types of
15 January 2016
fermented products.
Accepted 18 January 2016
Available online 27 January 2016
Scope and approach: This review article is focused on production of bioactive peptides in fermented
soybean products and their role in prevention and treatment of several metabolic diseases. Studies on
novel bioactive peptides having specific health benefits can lead to their application in the development
Keywords:
Soybean
of functional foods and pharmaceuticals with the aim replace synthetic drugs that have several side
Fermentation effects.
Fermented soybean Key findings and conclusions: Peptides in fermented soybean products are either released by the hy-
Peptides drolysis of soybean proteins during fermentation or produced by the microorganisms associated with
Health benefits fermentation. During soybean fermentation specific bioactive peptides are produced as a result of hy-
drolysis of soybean proteins (Glycinin and b-conglycinin). Individual microbial strains contribute in the
formation of specific bioactive peptides with respective health benefits depending on the sequence and
composition of amino acids. Such bioactive peptides may act like regulatory compounds and exhibit
bioactive properties such as anti-hypertensive, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-diabetic and anticancer
activities. Studies in future, on application of specific strains for soybean fermentation can lead in to the
formation of novel bioactive peptides with potential health benefits.
© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction
Soybean is the most acknowledged source of plant protein,
which also contributes to a wide range of health benefits. Apart
from proteins, soybean contains basic nutritive constituents, such
as lipids, vitamins, minerals, free sugar and contains isoflavones,
flavanoids, saponins and peptides that are of therapeutic value
(Kim et al., 2006; Wang, Neal, Mark, & Elvira, 2008a). Soybean is
consumed in two forms, unfermented (roasted and fried soybeans,
soy powder, soy butter, soybean oil etc.) and fermented (soy sauce,
cheese, pickle, yogurt etc.). Fermentation has been used since
ancient times and the basic idea behind the process was to preserve
the perishable food materials specially where there was scarcity of
such foods. In the present scenario fermentation is applied to
improve bioactive components responsible for health benefits
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: amitraikvs@gmail.com (A.K. Rai).
(Cho, Kim, Chang, & Jae, 2011; Rai & Jeyaram, 2015; Sourabh et al.,
2015) and reduction of antinutritional factors (Difo, Onyike, Ameh,
Ndidi, & Njoku, 2014; Egounlety & Aworh, 2003; Rai & Appaiah,
2014). During fermentation, complex organic compounds are
broken down into smaller molecules by microorganisms, which
exert various physiological functions beyond their nutritional
properties. Fermentation of soybean with different microorganisms
improves the biofunctional properties due to the increase in free
isoflavones and peptides (Cho et al., 2011; Sanjukta, Rai,
Muhammed, Jeyaram, & Talukdar, 2015; Zhang, Tatsumi, Ding, &
Li, 2006). Fermentation can also result in reduction of antinutri-
tional components such as proteinase-inhibitors, phytic acid, ure-
ase, oxalic acids (Egounlety & Aworh, 2003; Reddy & Pierson, 1994).
Soybean fermentation using specific microorganisms has shown to
reduce components responsible for immunoreactivity (Frias, Song,
Martínez-villaluenga, Gonzalez de Mejia, & Vidal-valverde, 2008;
Song, Frias, Martinez-Villaluenga, Vidal-Valdeverde, & Gonzalez de
Mejia, 2008a). Fermented soybean products have showed

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2016.01.010
0924-2244/© 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
2 S. Sanjukta, A.K. Rai / Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10
negligible human IgE immunoreactivity, which may be due to the
hydrolysis of immunoreactive soybean proteins during fermenta-
tion (Song, Martinez-Villaluenga, & Gonzalez de Mejia, 2008b).
Fermented soybean products are very popular in many Asian
countries. The popular soybean products include natto, miso, tofuyo
(Japan), douchi, sufu, doubanjiang (China), cheonggukjang, doenjang,
kanjang, meju (Korea), tempeh (Indonesia), thua-nao (Thialand),
kinema, hawaijar, tungrymbai (India). Soybean fermentation results
in release of peptides by the action of proteolytic enzymes pro-
duced by the microorganisms involved during fermentation (Rai &
Jeyaram, 2015; Sanjukta et al., 2015). Bioactive peptides are inactive
within the sequence of parent protein and are released on enzy-
matic hydrolysis during fermentation and gastrointestinal diges-
tion. These peptides are chains of 2e20 amino acids and their
activity depends on chain length, amino acid composition and
sequence of amino acids. Peptides improve the functional proper-
ties of the fermented foods and can act as natural alternative to
various synthetic drugs. In fermented soybean products, peptide
mediated therapeutic values differ with specific microbes involved
in the fermentation process and the soybean variety used for
fermentation. Bioactive peptides in fermented soybean have been
studied for various therapeutic properties such as antioxidant
(Sanjukta et al., 2015; Watanabe, Fujimoto, & Aoki, 2007), antihy-
pertensive (Gibbs, Zoygman, Masse, & Mulligan, 2004; Zhang et al.,
2006), anti-tumor (Jung, Park, & Park, 2006), antidiabetic (Kwon
et al., 2011) and are also known to prevent atherosclerosis (Tsai,
Chu, Lee, & Pan, 2009). Epidemiological evidences for both lower
incidences of cancer and mortality rates in populations consuming
high levels of soybean products are garnering attention towards
peptides, as protein is one of the major components of soybean
(Spector, Anthony, Alexander, & Arab, 2003). During the last two
decades, researchers have laid a lot of emphasis on bioactive pep-
tides in fermented soybean products. Thus, the current review
article is focused on bioactive peptides in fermented soybeans
products and their potential health benefits.
2. Characteristics of soybean protein
Soybean seeds are relatively inexpensive source of dietary
protein for human consumption, having protein content of 35e40%
on a dry weight basis (Mujoo, Trinh, & Ng, 2003). The proteomic
studies of the soybean protein have given the basic information
about the major storage proteins in soybean, Glycinin (11S globulin)
and b-conglycinin (7S globulin) fractions, accounting approxi-
mately 40% and 30%, respectively of the total protein (Utsumi, 1992;
Utsumi, Matsuma, & Mori, 1997). As glycinin and b-conglycinin
constitute 65e85% of the total soy proteins they are the precursors
of most of the isolated bioactive peptides (Yang, Mau, Ko, & Huang,
2000). Glycinin, a hexamer, is composed of five major subunits (G1,
G2, G3, G4 and G5), each contains an acidic (MW~ 35,000) and a
basic polypeptide chain (MW~ 20,000) linked to each other
through a disulfide bond (Golubovic, Hateren, Ottens, Witkamp, &
Wielen, 2005; Mujoo et al., 2003). Molecular heterogenicity is
exhibited by the glycinin fraction due to polymorphism in the
subunit composition, which probably may be due to the difference
in the amino acid sequences among the different cultivars (Utsumi
et al., 1997). b-conglycinin is a trimer with molecular weight of
150e200 kDa and belongs to a class of glycosylated proteins (Hou &
Chang, 2004) with four subunits, a (MW~68,000), a' (MW~72,000),
b (MW~52,000), g (MW~52,000) that are associated with each
other by hydrophobic interactions (Mujoo et al., 2003). The 11S
polypeptide has five genetic variants, which are divided into group-
I and group-II based on the homology of their subunit sequences
(Nielsen, 1985; Staswick, Hermodson, & Nielsen, 1981). Heteroge-
neity in the 11S fraction has also been reported among soybean
varieties (Kitamura, Toyokawa, & Harada, 1980; Mori, Utsumi,
Inaba, Kitamura, & Harada, 1981) and within a single variety of
soybean (Utsumi, Inaba, & Mori, 1981). However, the genomics
studies of these protein fractions reveal that the genes of both the
globulins (7S and 11S) are derived from a common ancestral gene
(Gibbs, Strongin, & McPherson, 1989; Plietz, Drescher, &
Damaschun, 1987). From the literature, it is known that both
environment and genetics influence the change in the composition
and content of soybean storage proteins (Mujoo et al., 2003;
Murphy & Resurreccion, 1984). Since, composition and content of
soybean storage proteins vary among different varieties, the
probability of formation of peptides with different functional
properties also increases. The minor proteins/glycoproteins in
soybean include trypsin inhibitors, lipoxygenases, lectins and a-
amylases (Liu, 1997). Apart from these proteins, potential bioactive
peptides have also been reported in raw soybean (Hernandez-
Ledesma, Hsieh, & de Lumen, 2009a). Lunasin, a 43 amino acid
peptide, which has been isolated from different soybean varieties,
has been reported to exhibit antioxidant, anticancer and anti-
inflammatory properties (Gonzalez de Mejia, V asconez, de
Lumen, & Nelson, 2004; Hernandez-Ledesma, Hsieh, & de Lumen,
2009b; Lule, Garg, Pophaly, Hitesh, & Tomar, 2015).
3. Impact of fermentation on soybean protein
Soybean proteins may not be highly digestible because of the
presence of high amount of enzyme inhibitors such as proteinase
and trypsin inhibitors. Fermentation is an eco-friendly process,
which improves the digestibility of soybean protein. During
fermentation, the proteolytic enzymes produced by the microbial
populations, hydrolyzes the proteins into peptides and free amino
acids (Fig. 1). Free amino acids contents have been reported to in-
crease in several fermented soybean products such as thua nao
(Dajanta, Chukeatirote, & Apichartsrangkoon, 2011), sufu (Han,
Rombouts, & Nout, 2001), kinema (Nikkuni et al., 1995), cheong-
gukjang (Hong et al., 2008) and natto (Nikkuni et al., 1995). Free
amino acid content of soybean fermented with proteolytic strains
of Bacillus subtilis was found to increase 10e20 folds (Sanjukta et al.,
2015). Efficiency of fermentation with respect to functionality of
the hydrolyzed products differs with specific cultures used for the
fermentation process (Ibe, Yoshida, & Kumada, 2006; Rai et al.,
2011). A difference in extent of soybean protein hydrolysis was
found in soybean fermented with different strains of the same
species. Soybean fermented with B. subtilis MTCC5480 resulted in
higher degree of protein hydrolysis and free amino acids in com-
parison with soybean fermented with B. subtilis MTCC1747
Soybean (Glycine max)
Cleaning, Washing and soaking 8-12 hours
Drain the water, Cooked by boiling for 2-3 hours
Drain the soup completely to avoid extra moisture
Cooked seeds/cooked and crushed seeds
Placed in bamboo basket lined with
Ferns (Glaphylopteriolopis erubescens) /Ficus hispida/ Musa spp./ ginger leaves
Wrapped with Jute bags/thick clothes
Natural fermentation carried out near fire pace
2-3 days, Temperature>Room temperature.
Fig. 1. Flow chart summarizing the process of production of fermented soybean
products of North East India.
 S. Sanjukta, A.K. Rai / Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10
(Sanjukta et al., 2015). Weng and Chen (2011) reported that two
step fermentation by Rhizopus oligosporus and B. subtilis resulted in
increase in degree of protein hydrolysis. They observed higher
content of Glu and Asp after fermentation of soybean. It has also
been reported that profile of essential amino acids remained un-
changed after fermentation, instead fermentation increased the
amount of smaller peptides (<20 kD), which were not obtained
from the unfermented soybean. Cheonggukjang fermented with
B. subtilis for less than 72 h was found to have greater concentration
of large molecules than those of meju and doenjang, fermented for
more than 6 months with Bacillus and Aspergilus species from rice
straw and koji, respectively (Jang et al., 2008; Lee, Kim, Zheng, &
Row, 2007; Park, Lee, Kim, & Lee, 1994; Yamabe, Kobayashi-
Hattori, Kaneko, Endo, & Takita, 2007). The 2-dimensional gel
profile of chungkukjang showed that maximum of the soy proteins
were degraded at 20 h of fermentation. The proteomic profile of
chungkukjang was different from that of natto as the period of
fermentation differed (Santos et al., 2007).
Protein composition of soybean can also affect the formation of
bioactive peptides. In their study, Gibbs et al. (2004) have shown
that glycinin was the precursor of 95% of the peptides formed by
soybean protein hydrolysis. b-conglycinin, the other major protein
in soybean was found to be resistant to proteolytic degradation
even by the multi-enzyme systems (Gibbs et al., 2004). The profile
of free amino acids of the fermented product not only depends on
the starter used but also on the soybean variety used for fermen-
tation. Even though, the degree of protein hydrolysis in soybean
varieties fermented with proteolytic strains were similar, free
amino acids responsible for antioxidant activity were higher in
black soybean in comparison to yellow soybean (Sanjukta et al.,
2015).
4. Types of fermented soybean products
Fermentation of soybean gives rise to different products based
on many criteria but microbes are the foremost cause for the dif-
ferences as they affect the aroma, texture, therapeutical and neu-
traceutical values. Bacillus spp., lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and fungi
are reported to be the key players in fermented soybean products
(Cao, Liao, Wang, Yang, & Lu, 2009; Donkor, Henriksson, Vasiljevic,
& Shah, 2005; Gibbs et al., 2004; Kwon et al., 2007). Some of the
fermented soybean products are fermented with Bacillus only
(natto, kinema, chungkookjang); some are fermented solely with
fungi (sufu, tempeh, douchi) and in some cases both are involved, as
in the case of doenjang, a traditional Korean fermented soybean
paste. In this review, fermented soybean products are classified as
(i) Bacterial fermented soybean (ii) Fungi fermented soybean (iii)
Combined fungal-bacterial fermented soybean.
4.1. Bacterial fermented soybean
Soybean fermented with Bacillus spp., results in alkaline
fermentation, whereas soymilk fermented using lactic acid bacteria
results in acidic fermentation (Table 1). B. subtilis fermented soy-
bean products are consumed in various countries and vary based on
their traditional methods of preparation. Natto is a traditional
Japanese food prepared by boiling soybeans and fermenting them
with the B. subtilis natto. The extracellular enzymes from the bac-
teria act on the soybeans to produce mucilage, which gives the
thread-like and slimy nature to natto. Natto has also shown to be a
potential source of fibrinolytic enzymes and several bioactive
peptides (Cao et al., 2009; Gibbs et al., 2004; Sumi, Hamada,
Nakanishi, & Hirantani, 1990). Chungkookjang, a Korean tradi-
tional fermented soybean is also prepared by fermenting cooked
soybean with B. subtilis as the starter culture (Kwon et al., 2007).
3
Chungkookjang possess various health benefits such as antihyper-
tensive (Korhonen & Pihlanto, 2003), antidiabetic (Yang, Kwon,
Kim, Kang, & Park, 2012) and anticancer properties (Lee et al.,
2012).
In North East India fermented soybean varieties such as kinema,
hawaijar, tungrymbai and bekang are prepared traditionally and
consumed in different states of India (Tamang et al., 2012). Among
these, kinema and hawaijar are the most studied fermented soy-
bean products (Fig. 1). Kinema has been reported to possess high
antioxidant property due to increase in polyphenols and peptides
during fermentation (Moktan, Saha, & Sarkar, 2008; Sanjukta et al.,
2015). Thua nao is also an alkaline B. subtilis fermented soybean,
which is very popular in the northern part of Thailand (Dajanta
et al., 2009). Soy-daddawa is a traditional fermented soybean,
which is very similar in taste, color and smell to that of the African
locust bean (Parkia biglobosa) daddawa (Omafuvbe, Abiose, &
Shonukan, 2002). This is generally consumed in different parts of
Nigeria and is used as a taste enhancer. The microflora associated
with soy-daddawa fermentation are B. subtilis, B. pumilus and Ba-
cillus licheniformis (Omafuvbe et al., 2002). Apart from Bacillus
starter, soymilk fermented using different lactic acid bacteria, is
also a source of bioactive peptides and free isoflavones (Kitawaki
et al., 2009). Soymilk fermented with Enterococcus faecium strains
have shown to possess antioxidant and Angiotensin I converting
enzyme (ACE) inhibitory properties (Martinez-Villaluenga et al.,
2012). Soya milk has been fermented using lactic acid bacteria
such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, Bifi-
dobacterium infantis, B. longum (Wang, Yu, & Chou, 2006), Lb.
plantarum, Lb. delbrueckii and B. breve (Pyo, Lee, & Lee, 2005).
Soymilk fermented with specific lactic acid bacteria results in
peptides having specific health benefits.
4.2. Fungi fermented soybean
Apart from bacterial starter, filamentous fungi are also used in
several fermented soybean products in Asia to provide aroma, color,
and biological activity (Table 2). The popular fungi fermented
soybean products include douchi, tempeh, miso tofu. Miso is a soy-
bean paste prepared with soybean, rice or barley, salt and water
with fungus, Aspergillus oryzae. Preparation of miso needs three
steps, first is fermentation of soybeans with salt to koji, second, is
the addition of LAB and yeast to improve the flavor followed by
fermentation at 30
C, which results in miso and the third is
pasteurization and packaging. Douchi is a Chinese traditional fer-
mented soybean product used for seasoning and for pharmaceu-
tical purpose (Zhang et al., 2006). Mucor and Aspergillus strains are
associated with douchi fermentation, which involves two steps
fermentation, primary and secondary fermentation (Wang et al.,
2007; Zhang et al., 2006). Douchi has been shown to possess anti-
oxidant, ACE and a-glucosidase inhibitory properties (Fujita and
Yamagami, 2001; Wang et al., 2007; Zhang et al., 2006). Tempeh
is an Indonesian soybean-fermented food produced by filamentous
fungi, such as Rhizopus spp. and Fusarium spp. (Steinkraus, Yap, Van
Buren, Provvidenti, & Hand, 1960). Tempeh possesses wide range of
health beneficiary properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial,
anticancer, antihypertensive, antithrombotic and hypocholester-
olaemic effect (Gibbs et al., 2004; Moreno et al., 2002; Nout & Kiers,
2005). Tofu is a fermented soybean product which is widely
consumed in East and Southeast Asia. In China and Taiwan it is
known as sufu, funan, tou-yu, tau-zu, fuyu, toufu-ru, rufu, toufu-ju,
furu, in Japan as tofuyo, in Philippines as tafuri, in Thailand as tau-
fu yee, in Malaysia as tau ju, and in Vietnam as chao and dau-phu-
nyu (Yasuda, 2011). In commercial practice, these fermented soy-
bean products are prepared using molds such as Actinomucor spp.,
Mucor spp. and Rhizopus spp. (Yasuda, 2011). Tofuyo has been
4 S. Sanjukta, A.K. Rai / Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10

Table 1
Bacterial fermented soybean products and health benefits of soybean derived peptides.

Fermented soybean Starter culture Health benefits References

Natto B. natto O9516; Antihypertensive; Ibe et al., 2009

B. natto TK1 Anticancer, Antimicrobial Cao et al., 2009
Fermented soybean B. subtilis MTCC 5480; Antioxidant; Sanjukta et al., 2015
B. subtilis SHZ Antioxidant Yu et al., 2008
FSPMH Lb. plantarum Lp6 Antioxidant Amadou et al., 2010
Cheonggukjang B. subtilis CH-1023; Antihypertensive; Korhonen & Phlanto, 2003
B. licheniformis SCD 111067P Antidiabetic Kwon et al., 2007
Doenjang B. subtilis SCB 3 ACE-inhibitory Hwang, 1997
Soymilk Lb. casei, Lb. acidophilus, S. thermophilus, Lb. bulgaricus, B. longum Antihypertensive Tsai et al., 2006
Douchi qu B. subtilis natto, B. subtilis B1 ACE-inhibitory Li et al., 2009
Soy yogurt Lb. delbrueckii LB 1466, S. thermophilus St 1342, Lb. acidophilus LAFTI L10, ACE-inhibitory Donkor et al., 2005
B. lactis LAFTI B94, Lb. paracasei LAFTI L26

FSPMH- fermented soybean protein meal hydrolyzate, ACE e angiotensin converting enzyme.

Table 2
Fungi fermented soybean products and health benefits of soybean derived peptides.

Fermented soybean Starter culture Health benefits References

Tempeh R. microspores Antioxidant; Gibbs et al., 2004

Antimicrobial Moreno et al., 2002
Monascus-fermented soybean Monascus pilosus KFRI-1140 ACE inhibitory Pyo & Lee, 2007
Tofuyo A. oryzae (as yellow koji), Antihypertensive Kuba et al., 2003; Yasuda, Matsumoto,
Monascus sp. (as red kojis) Sakaguchi, & Kinjyo, 1995
Douchi A. egypticus; Antihypertensive; Zhang et al., 2006;
A. oryzae Antioxidant Wang et al., 2008b
Douchi qu A. oryzae, M. wutungkiao ACE inhibitory Li et al., 2009
Shoyu S. rouxii and T. versatilis ACE inhibitory Kataoka, 2005
Sufu Actinomucor taiwanensis ACE inhibitory Wang et al., 2003
Meju A. oryzae Antimicrobial Cho, Oh, Pridmore, Juillerat, & Lee, 2003
Mao-tofu M. micheli ex fries ACE inhibitory Hang & Zhao, 2012

ACE e angiotensin converting enzyme.

reported to possess antihypertensive and cholesterol lowering

properties (Kuba, Shinjo, & Yasuda, 2004).

4.3. Combined fungal-bacterial fermented soybean

There are some fermented soybean products, in which both

bacteria and fungi are involved in the development of the final
product. Doenjang-meju is a Korean traditional fermented soybean
paste, fermented using both bacteria and fungi. The bacteria
involved in this process were to be B. subtilis and molds including
Rhizopus spp., Mucor spp., Geotrichum spp., and Aspergillus spp.
(Jung, Lee, & Jeon, 2014). Bacteria and fungi during Doenjang-meju
fermentation were responsible for hydrolysis of macromolecules to
simpler monomeric form. B. subtilis CSY191 isolated from doenjang
were reported to produce anticancer surfactin (Lee et al., 2012). In
another study, fermentation of soybean using both R. oligosporus
and B. subtilis was carried out to achieve higher degree of protein
hydrolysis in comparison to single starter (Weng & Chen, 2011).

5. Bioactive peptides in fermented soybean

Soybean fermentation releases many small peptides by the hy-

drolysis of soybean proteins by microbial proteases, which exhibit
therapeutic properties such as anti-hypertensive, antioxidant,
hypocholesterolemic, chemopreventive, antidiabetic etc. (Fig. 2).
Bioactive peptides in fermented soybean are either formed by hy-
drolysis of soybean protein (Tables 1 and 2) or produced by the
starter culture (Table 3). Many studies have reported the presence
of bioactive peptides in fermented soybean products especially
from Asian and African countries. These bioactive properties are
discussed in this section.
Fig. 2. Formation and biological activity of bioactive peptides in fermented soybean.
5.1. ACE inhibitory peptides
ACE converts angiotensin I to angiotensin II and inactivates
bradykinin a potent vasodilator, thereby increasing the blood
pressure and risk of cardiovascular disease. ACE inhibitory peptides
derived from protein rich foods can be used for treating high blood
 S. Sanjukta, A.K. Rai / Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10
Table 3
Bioactive properties of microbial peptides produced during soybean fermentation.
Fermented soybean Starter culture
Kyeopjang B. subtilis SCK-2
Miso paste Lactococcus sp. GM005
Malasian Tempeh E. faecium LMG 19827 and
E. faecium LMG 19828
Natto B. natto TK-1
Sokseongjang B. subtilis HJ18-4
Doenjang B. subtilis CSY191
Cheonggukjang B. subtilis CSY 191
Meju B. amyloliquefaciens FSE-68
Korean traditional fermented soybean B. subtilis SC-8
pressure and hypertension. Protein rich fermented foods are the
natural source of ACE inhibitory and antihypertensive peptides.
Presence of hydrophobic amino acids (Try, Phe, Trp, Ala, Ile, Val, and
Met) or positively charge amino acids (Arg and Lys) as well as Pro at
the C terminal position of the ACE inhibitory peptides shows better
affinity with ACE (Haque & Chand, 2008; He et al., 2012; Rai,
Sanjukta, & Jeyaram, 2015). ACE inhibitory peptides derived from
fermented foods can be preferred above synthetic drugs (e.g.
captopril) as they do not exhibit any side effects (Rho, Ji-Soo, Chung,
Young-Wan, & Lee, 2009). During soybean fermentation, the ACE
inhibitory peptides are generated by proteolytic degradation of
soybean protein fractions (glycinin and b-conglycinin) (Kuba et al.,
2005). According to Fujita, Yokoyama, and Yoshikawa (2000), ACE-
inhibitory peptides can be classified into three types (1) true in-
hibitor type e ACE inhibitory peptides, that are not affected by
gastrointestinal digestion, (2) substrate type e ACE inhibitory
peptides that are converted peptides with weaker activity on
gastrointestinal digestion, and (3) pro-drug type e ACE inhibitory
peptides that are converted to true inhibitors by gastrointestinal
digestion.
ACE inhibitory and antihypertensive peptides have been iden-
tified in Japanese fermented soybean natto, fermented with
B. subtilis natto O9516 (Ibe et al., 2009). They have studied in vivo
antihypertensive activity of the peptide in spontaneously hyper-
tensive rats (SHR). The peptide showing in vitro ACE inhibitory
activity was purified and was orally administered to SHR as a single
dose. Single dose administration at different concentrations (1 mg,
10 mg, and 100 mg/kg body weight) showed decrease in systolic
blood pressure within 5 h of oral administration, even at the lowest
dose. Similarly, two ACE inhibitory peptides were isolated from the
tofuyo extracts by adsorption, gel filtration column chromatog-
raphy, and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatog-
raphy (Kuba, Tanaka, Tawata, Takeda, & Yasuda, 2003). The peptides
composed of the amino acid sequence Ile-Phe-Leu and TrpeLeu,
found in the a- and b-subunits of b conglycinin and B-, B1A- and
BX-subunits of glycinin, respectively showed good ACE inhibitory
activity and were resistant to pepsin, chymotrypsin and trypsin
treatments (Kuba et al., 2003). Further studies on the inhibitor
mechanism showed that both the peptides were non-competitive
inhibitors. Chunggugjang, a Korean fermented soy product, fer-
mented with B. subtilis CH-1023 was found to possess a potent
antihypertensive peptide (Korhonen and Pihlanto, 2003). Antihy-
pertensive activity in chunggugjang was examined in 4 volunteers
and it was seen that their systolic blood pressure reduced by 15 mm
Hg, and diastolic blood pressure by 8 mm Hg after 2 h of single dose
administration of 20 g of fermented soybean (Toshiro, Jae, Sung,
Seok, & Bok, 2004). Further, ACE inhibitory peptide LysePro
(0.083 mg/100 g sample), was purified and was shown to exhibit
ACE-inhibitory activity of IC50 ¼ 32.1 mM.
Zhang et al. (2006) studied the ACE inhibitory activities of douchi
5
Health benefits References
Antibacterial Yeo et al., 2011
Antibacterial Onda et al., 2003
Antibacterial Moreno et al., 2002
Antibacterial; Antitumor Cao et al., 2009; Xiao-Hong, Zhen-Yu,
Chun-Ling, Wen-Yan, & Mei-Fang, 2009
Antimicrobial Eom et al., 2014
Anticancer Lee et al., 2012
Anticancer Lee et al., 2012
Antimicrobial Cho et al., 2003
Antibacterial Yeo et al., 2012
fermented by A. egyptiacus. This study revealed that the ACE
inhibitory activity increased with fermentation time and the
increasing order of the activity with respect to time shows that the
ACE inhibitors were produced during the fermentation. It has also
been found that the inhibitory activity increased after gastroin-
testinal digestion of fermented soybean. The results suggest that
ACE inhibitory peptides formed during douchi fermentation were
pro-drug-type or a mixture of pro-drug-type and true inhibitor-
type peptides. Separation of the ACE inhibitor fraction resulted in
a peak with highest activity, a peptide, composed of Phe, Ile and Gly
in the ratio of 1:2:5. Chinese sufu, a fungus fermented soybean,
cheese - like product, was also shown to exhibit ACE inhibitory
activity (Ma, Cheng, Yin, Wang, & Li, 2012). ACE inhibitory activity
was found to increase during fermentation and ripening process
(11.55e37.61%). Moreover, a significant correlation was found be-
tween ACE inhibitory activity and peptide content, indicating the
potential of sufu as a source of efficient ACE inhibitors. Wang, Saito,
Tatsumi, and Li (2003) conducted a comparative study on the ACE
inhibitory activities between the Japanese tofuyo and the Chinese
sufu and found that Chinese sufu exhibited higher ACE inhibitory
activity than tofuyo. Presence of small peptides of molecular weight
less than 10 kDa was found to be responsible for higher ACE
inhibitory activity.
In the race of the ACE inhibitory activity of different fermented
soy products from various locations Chinese fermented soypaste
showed the lowest IC50 value of 0.012 mg/ml (Li et al., 2010). It is
known from this study that the reported IC50 value was the lowest
among the IC50 values for soypaste and also from other fermented
soy products (tempeh - 0.51 mg/ml, tofuyo - 0.66 and 1.77 mg/ml,
miso - 2.38e1.27 mg/ml, natto - 0.16e0.44 mg/ml) reported till date.
From this study, it has been highlighted that the ACE inhibitory
activity was due to specific peptides harvested from soybean fer-
mented with proteolytic strains as a starter culture. In a compara-
tive study of fermented soybean seasoning (FSS) and normal soya
sauce, ACE inhibitory activity of FSS (IC50 ¼ 454 mg/ml) was found
higher than regular soy sauce (IC50 ¼ 1620 mg/ml) (Nakahara et al.,
2010). FSS was also found to have 2.7 folds higher content of pep-
tides in comparison to regular soy sauce. Further, FSS also showed
antihypertensive effect in SHR on long term continuous feeding.
The ACE inhibitory peptides isolated from FSS were AlaeTrp
(IC50 ¼ 10 mg/ml), AlaeTyr (48 mg/ml), GlyeTrp (30 mg/ml), SereTyr
(67 mg/ml), GlyeTyr (97 mg/ml), ValePro (480 mg/ml), AlaePhe
(190 mg/ml), AlaeIle (690 mg/ml) and ValeGly (1100 mg/ml). In
another study, Shin et al. (2001) isolated ACE inhibitory tri peptide,
His-His-Leu from Korean fermented soy paste, which showed low
IC50 value (2.2 mg/ml). The same peptide was synthesized and fed to
SHR, which resulted in reduction of ACE inhibitory activity in the
aorta and led to lower systolic blood pressure in SHR. ACE inhibi-
tory peptides in fermented soybean was also found to increase with
the increase in fermentation time, as reported in mao - tofu
6 S. Sanjukta, A.K. Rai / Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10
fermented with Mucor spp. (Hang & Zhao, 2012).
Soymilk fermented with LAB has also been shown to possess
antihypertensive properties (Martinez-Villauenga et al., 2012).
Soymilk fermentation with five different LAB (Lb. casei, Lb. aci-
dophilus, S. thermophilus, Lb. bulgaricus, B. longum) followed by
enzymatic treatment resulted in production of ACE inhibitory
peptides (Tsai, Lin, Pan, & Chen, 2006). After 30 h of fermentation
there was increase in peptide content and free amino acid content,
which resulted in decrease in IC50 value of ACE inhibitory activity
from 9.28 to 0.66 mg powder/ml. In another study, soymilk fer-
mented with E. faecium strain isolated from raw soymilk resulted in
production of peptides exhibiting ACE inhibitory properties
(Martinez-Villauenga et al., 2012). In a recent study, Vallabha and
Tiku (2014) fermented soy protein concentrate with Lactobacillus
casei sp. pseudoplantarum and isolated two ACE inhibitory peptide
fractions F2 and F3 showing IC50 values of 17 and 30 mg/ml,
respectively. Further on characterization, N-terminal sequence of
peptide (F2) was found to be Leu-Ile-Val-Thr-Gln.
ACE inhibitory activity has also been reported in soy yogurt
prepared with probiotic strain (Donkor et al., 2005). Yogurt
fermentation using mixed starter culture (Lb. delbrueckii spp. Bul-
garicus LB 1466, S. thermophilus St 1342) along with the probiotic
strains (Lb. acidophilus LAFTI L10, B. lactis LAFTI B94, Lb. paracasei
LAFTI L26) resulted in good ACE inhibitory activity along with its
sustenance at 4
C for 28 days. The probiotic strains were found to
have positive effect on the growth of the starter culture and
enhance the ACE inhibitory activity of the soy yogurt. Fermented
soybean products can be potential sources of ACE inhibitory pep-
tides and can be used for prevention and treatment of
hypertension.
5.2. Antioxidant peptides
Oxidation of biomolecules takes place in the human body due to
various biochemical processes and leads to cell death and tissue
damage. Free radicals such as superoxides, hydrogen peroxide,
hydroxyl radicals, lipid hydroperoxides and peroxyl radicals cause
many disorders such as cancers, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, arthritis
and many neurodegenerative disorders (Halliwell and Gutteridge,
1999). Antioxidants are the molecules, which can capture the free
radicals within their structure and prevent the oxidation. Most of
the studies on antioxidant properties of fermented soybean have
shown that increase in polyphenols (isoflavones, phenolic acids and
flavanols) are responsible for increase in antioxidant property
(Berghofer, Grzeskowiad, Mundigler, Sentall, & Walcak, 1998;
Moktan et al., 2008; Ren, Liu, Endo, Takagi, & Hayashi, 2006).
Some of the studies in the recent past suggest that, free amino acids
and peptides in fermented soybean are also factors responsible for
antioxidant activity along with polyphenols (Sanjukta et al., 2015;
Watanabe et al., 2007). Amino acids such as Trp, His, Phe, Ala,
Tyr, Met, Gly, Leu and Val have been reported to be components of
antioxidant peptides (Ajibola, Fashakin, Fagbemi, & Aluko, 2011;
Guo, Kouzuma, & Yonekura, 2009; Sanjukta et al., 2015). Radical
scavenging activities of a peptide is contributed by the side chain
groups of the amino acids residues such as imidazole, indolic and
phenolic groups in His, Trp and Tyr, respectively (Guo et al., 2009;
Nam, You, & Kim, 2008). Watanabe et al. (2007) suggested that
antioxidant activity in the water soluble fraction of Rhizopus fer-
mented tempeh may be due to the amino acids and peptides formed
during fermentation. During the aerobic fermentation with
Rhizopus, the free amino acids and peptide content was increased,
which resulted in higher antioxidant activity in the water-soluble
fraction. It was suggested that aromatic amino acids and His resi-
dues contributed to the radical scavenging activity because of their
capacity to donate proton easily to electron deficient radicals and
maintain its stability. A study on oxygen radical scavenging activity
and inhibition of oxidation of plasma low density lipoprotein of
natto also suggested that peptides are one of the contributing fac-
tors for the antioxidant effect (Iwai, Nakaya, Kawasaki, & Matsue,
2002).
Peptide purified from B. subtilis SHZ fermented soybean
exhibited significant scavenging activity of superoxide (62%) and
hydroxyl (96%) radicals at concentration of 10 mg/ml (Yu, Zhao-Xin,
Xiao-Mei, Feng-Xia, & Xian-Qing, 2008). In another study, Fan,
Zhang, Chang, Saito, and Li (2009) have shown increase in antiox-
idant activity due to increase in protease activity during douchi
fermentation. They showed that increases in free amino acids
during fermentation are responsible for antioxidant activity with
the advancement of fermentation, which indicates that the increase
in antioxidant activity can be attributed to the rapid degradation of
proteins. They also suggested that isoflavone displayed a marginal
effect on increase in antioxidant activity and low molecular weight
peptides constituting of hydrophobic, aromatic, basic and acidic
amino acids play important role in increasing the antioxidant ac-
tivity of douchi. It has also been reported that B. subtilis MTCC 5480
fermented yellow and black seeds posses higher antioxidant ac-
tivity and are also susceptible to the gastrointestinal digestion
(Sanjukta et al., 2015).
Antioxidant peptides isolated from Lb. plantarum Lp6 fermented
soybean protein meal hydrolyzate using sephadex G-15 gel filtra-
tion column and gel filtration chromatography exhibited strong
antioxidant activity (Amadou et al., 2010). Analysis of the peptide
sequence by MALDI-TOF-TOF-MS of the fraction indicates the
presence of His in the peptide, which may be responsible for high
antioxidant activity. In tempeh, fermented by R. oligosporus NRRL
2710, antioxidant peptides were obtained by endoproteases digests
(pronase, trypsin, Glu C protease, plasma proteases and kidney
membrane proteases) (Gibbs et al., 2004). The enhancement of the
antioxidant property of the fermented soybean depends on the
organism used for the fermentation. It has also been shown that
mixture of proteolytic microorganisms (Bacillus and fungus) during
fermentation of soybean increased the total antioxidant activities
(Wongputtisin, Khanongnuch, Pongpiachan, & Lumyong, 2007).
5.3. Antimicrobial peptides
Antimicrobial properties of protein rich fermented foods can
due to either peptides produced by the starter or peptides formed
on hydrolysis of food protein. In case of soybean most of the reports
are on antimicrobial peptides produced by the starter, including
lipopeptides (Table 3). Bacillus species, especially, B. subtilis, usually
found in traditional fermented soybeans are able to produce a wide
range of antimicrobial compounds active against bacteria and fungi
(Cao et al., 2009; Eom, Lee, & Choi, 2014; Yeo, Lee, Cha, & Hahm,
2011). Proteins, enzymes, lipopeptides, bacteriocin etc. are the
antimicrobial compounds secreted by Bacillus spp. and reported to
act against many pathogens such as Campylobacter spp., Clostridium
botulinum, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, Staph-
ylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Baruzzi, Quintieri,
Morea, & Caputo, 2011). The mucilaginous slime of fermented
soybean food also inhibits the growth of harmful yeasts and
pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria by
damaging their cell membrane (Schallmey, Singh, & Ward, 2004).
Further, slime is composed of low molecular weight peptides, and
lipids composed of g -D-polyglutamic acid and levan type fructan.
Bacillus natto TK-1 isolated from natto was found to produce a
lipopeptide that has a strong surface activity (Cao et al., 2009). This
biosurfactant was found to be an anti-adhesive agent against
several bacterial strains such as Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium mon-
iliforme, Micrococcus luteus and S. typhimurium. The lipopeptide
 S. Sanjukta, A.K. Rai / Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10
biosurfactant produced by B. natto NK-1 also exhibited both anti-
bacterial and antifungal activities (Cao et al., 2009). Antimicrobial
activity of B. subtilis HJ18-4 isolated from buckwheat sokseongjang,
a Korean traditional fermented soybean product was studied
against food borne pathogens such as Bacillus cereus (Eom et al.,
2014). In this study, the antibacterial efficacy was highlighted by
the decrease in the survival rate of B. cereus when co-cultured with
B. subtilis HJ18-4 as compared with that of other B. subtilis strains.
The genomic study of the toxin gene of B. cereus with real time PCR
using groEL probe showed that toxin-related genes (groEL, nheC,
nheA, and entFM) were downregulated in B. cereus when it was co-
cultured with B. subtilis HJ18-4. Proteomic study revealed that
B. subtilis HJ18-4 produces a novel antibacterial peptide, which
could be an important bacterial biocontrol agent.
In the Malaysian tempeh, two bacteriocins of proteinaceous
nature were obtained from the isolates of E. faecium (E. faecium
LMG 19827 and E. faecium LMG 19828) (Moreno et al., 2002) that
showed inhibitory activity against L. monocytogenes. Partially pu-
rified proteinaceous bacteriocins were found to be heat stable and
having molecular mass of ~3.4 kDa for bacteriocin 1 and 3.4 kDa
and 5.4 kDa for bacteriocin 2. Further, characterization of the
enterocin-coding genes gave three amplified fragments which may
correspond with enterocin P, enterocin L50A and enterocin L50B.
Lactococcus sp. GM005, isolated from miso-paste was found to
produce bacteriocin with strong antibacterial activity against Lb.
sakei JCM1157T (Onda, Yanagidab, Tsujia, Shinoharab, &
Yokotsukab, 2003). The purified bacteriocin had the molecular
weight of 9.6 kDa based on gel-filtration analysis, and 2.4 kDa based
on tricine-SDS-PAGE analysis, from which it was suggested that the
bacteriocin has a tetrametric structure with N-terminal end
blocked. Further study on the amino acid composition revealed that
this bacteriocin contains high proportion of hydrophobic amino
acid residues and lanthionine, which demarcated from the
lantibiotics.
An antimicrobial peptide produced by B. subtilis SCK-2, isolated
from a Korean traditional fermented soybean paste (Kyeopjang),
inhibited B. cereus (Yeo, Lee, & Hahm, 2012). The purified antimi-
crobial peptide, AMP IC-1 was found to be more thermo stable than
BSAP-254 (peptide isolated from traditionally fermented soybean
paste). Further characterization of AMP IC-1 revealed that the
peptide was composed of 33 residues with 13 types of amino acids
including Cys, Asn or Asp, Gln or Glu, Ser, Ala, Pro, Gly, Arg, Thr, Val,
Ile, Leu, and Lys. From the data obtained by the genome sequence
analysis of B. subtilis SC-8, isolated from Korean traditional fer-
mented soybean food (Yeo et al., 2012) it could be concluded that
the strain has narrow antagonistic activity against B. cereus group.
Genome sequencing revealed the presence of several genes related
to antimicrobial products in B. subtilis SC-8 genome, similar to the
genomes of B. subtilis BSn5 and B. subtilis 168. Further, genes related
to lipopeptide, such as surfactin and plipastatin, were found in the
genome of B. subtilis SC-8. Antimicrobial peptides can be used as
food preservatives as well as an alternative to antibiotics for the
prevention of bacterial/fungal diseases.
5.4. Antidiabetic peptides
Diabetes is a metabolic disease, which is characterized by in-
crease in blood sugar level and is classified as type I and type II.
Type I is insulin dependent diabetes, where the pancreas fails to
secrete insulin, whereas type II (non-insulin dependent) is caused
by an imbalance in blood sugar absorption and insulin secretion
(Hamid, Yusoff, Liu, & Karim, 2015). Fermented soybean has been
reported to possess antidiabetic properties against the type II dia-
betes mellitus (Fujita & Yamagami, 2001; Kwon, James, Kim, & Park,
2010). Yang et al. (2012) suggested that the higher antidiabetic
7
effect in meju prepared with standard methods in comparison to
traditionally prepared meju might be due to the increase in pep-
tides and free isoflavones (Yang et al., 2012). In another study, Kwon
et al. (2011) have reported higher antidiabetic properties in meju in
comparison to unfermented soybean. They have shown that the
insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in 3T3-L1 adipocytes is higher in
the water extract than the methanolic extract, which increased
with the advancement of the fermentation time. They suggested
that antidiabetic properties in the aqueous extracts of fermented
soybean is due to the higher content of smaller peptides. Chung-
kookjang is also reported for its improved insulinotropic activity in
islets of type 2 diabetic rats, which was attributed to the presence of
isoflavonoid aglycones and small peptides (Yang et al., 2013).
Improvement in the insulinotropic activity by the small peptides
(<3kD) was reported to be due to the mild PPAR-geantagonist
activity of these peptides. However, several hypothesis and pre-
liminary research have shown that peptides can play a pivotal role
in treatment of diabetes, but no specific peptide with antidiabetic
potential has been characterized till date. Hence, future studies are
needed to characterize and study the mechanism of specific pep-
tides with antidiabetic effects.
5.5. Anticancer peptides
Cancer is an abnormal cell growth, which either remains at a
particular site or keeps spreading within the body. There are many
studies on antitumor and anticancer properties of fermented soy-
bean but there are only a few reports on peptides acting against
cancer. Anticancer properties of peptides in fermented soybean can
be due to the surfactins (containing cyclic peptide) or lipopeptides
produced by the starter culture or peptides formed on hydrolysis of
soybean protein. A study on the B. subtilis CSY191 isolated from
doenjang revealed that it produces a surfactin-like compound,
which possesses anticancer property (Lee at el., 2012). The study
also revealed that the surfactin-like compound has a survival rate of
58.3% under artificial gastric conditions after 3 h at pH 3.0. The
compound was purified and three potential surfactin isoforms were
obtained with different masses and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
analysis showed that these isoforms had peptides with identical
amino acid sequence (GLLVDLL). From the MTT assay it was
concluded that the surfactin inhibited the growth of human breast
cancer cells (MCF-7) in a dose dependent manner, with an IC50
value of 10 mg/ml at 24 h. Moreover, when the same strain CSY191
was used for cheonggukjang fermentation, the surfactin contents
increased from 0.3 to 48.2 mg/kg in 48 h fermentation, and anti-
cancer activity increased from 2.6 to 5.1 folds.
In natto, a lipopeptide biosurfactant from B. natto TK-1 was
found to exhibit antitumor activity (Cao et al., 2009). The purified
lipopeptide was examined for its cytotoxic potential by treating on
K-562 and BEL-7402 cells at different concentrations for 48 h and
the cell viability was checked by MTT assay. From this study, a dose
dependent suppression of the cell viability was observed and IC50
values for the K-562 and BEL-7402 were 19.1 and 30.2 mg/ml,
respectively. In a recent report effect of cheonggukjang was also
studied on the growth of breast cancer MCF7 cells and was found to
down-regulate the inflammation-related genes (Lee et al., 2012).
Lee et al. (2012) concluded that consumption of cheonggukjang
might be helpful in preventing breast cancer by a mechanism of
activating TGF pathway. Kim, Pai, and Lee (1998) have studied the
antitumor activity of the hydrophobic peptides from traditional
Korean soy sauce. In this study, the hydrophobic peptide fractions
were separated and their cytotoxic effects on several different cell
lines (NIH/3T3 mouse quiescent fibroblastoma, P388D1-mouse
lymphoid neoplasm, MSb1-chicken T cell lymphoma and SNU
C2A, a human colon cancer cell line) were measured and it was
8 S. Sanjukta, A.K. Rai / Trends in Food Science & Technology 50 (2016) 1e10
found that the hydrophobic amino acids such as Pro, Leu, Val were
very high in such peptides. However, future work on character-
ization of peptides in fermented soybean possessing anticancer
properties in needed.
Apart from anticancer peptides produced during fermentation,
presence of lunasin, a promising anticancer peptide has been re-
ported in soybean products, such as tempeh, tofu, su-jae, soymilk
and soy infant formula (Cavazos, Morales, Dia, & Gonzalez de Mejia,
2012; Hernandez-Ledesma, Hsieh, & de Lumen, 2009c). Lunasin has
been reported for its cancer preventive ability using animal models
and cell cultures against colon, prostrate, skin, liver and breast
cancer (Fernandez-Tome et al., 2014; Galvez, Chen, Macasieb, & de
Lumen, 2001; Hernandez-Ledesma, Hsieh, & de Lumen, 2013; Lule
et al., 2015). Lunasin has been shown to suppress transformation of
mouse fibroblast (C3H10T1/2) cells induced by 7,12-dime-
thylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) (Galvez et al., 2001). Further, this
peptide has demonstrated chemo-protective effect in human
HepG2 cells against tert-butylhydroperoxide induced oxidative
stress (Fernandez-Tome et al., 2014). Application of lunasin peptide
has shown to prevent loci formation in mouse fibroblast NIH3T3
cells induced by oncogene (EIA) (Lam, Galvez, & de Lumen, 2003).
The peptide has also been reported to reduce ~70% skin cancer in
SENCAR (SENsitivity to CARcinogenesis) mouse skin tumor model
induced by chemical carcinogens DMBA (Galvez et al., 2001).
Bioavailability studies have demonstrated the appearance of
lunasin in different organs and tissues in intact and active form
(Fernandez-Tome et al., 2014). Biological activity of this peptide in
fermented soybean products depends on its ability to resist the
hydrolysis process mediated by proteolytic enzymes produced by
the starter culture (Hernandez-Ledesma et al., 2009c). Lunasin was
found to be present in tempeh fermented with R. oligosporus,
showing its resistance to the hydrolytic enzymes produced by the
fungi (Handoyo & Morita, 2006; Hernandez-Ledesma et al., 2009c).
On the other hand, lunasin was not found in natto and miso fer-
mented with B. subtilis and A. oryzae, respectively, which might be
due to its hydrolysis by the enzymes produced by these starters
(Hernandez-Ledesma et al., 2009c; Kiers, Van laeken, Rombouts, &
Nout, 2000). Therefore, to achieve lunasin mediated anticancer
property in fermented soybean products it is necessary to select a
starter, which should not hydrolyze lunasin during fermentation.
6. Conclusions
Although soybean is a rich source of plant protein, its nutritive
values are concealed by the anti-nutritive properties. Fermentation
not only reduces the toxins but it leads to the production of several
beneficial compounds such as peptides. Peptides in fermented
soybean products exhibit bioactive properties such as ACE-
inhibitory, antioxidant, antitumor, antidiabetic and antimicrobial
property. The bioactive peptides produced during fermentation are
produced either by starter culture or by hydrolysis of soybean
proteins. Studies on the bioactive peptides in fermented soybean
products responsible for such properties will result in their appli-
cation in preparation of functional food and food supplements.
Also, specific starter cultures are responsible for the production of
specific peptides, and the same is applicable with the specific
strains of culture. From the studies till date, it can be concluded that
peptides are one of the promising health promoting components in
fermented soybeans products. Future studies on other health
benefits and characterization of bioactive peptides in fermented
soybean can lead to its application as pharmaceuticals with specific
health benefits and functional foods to fight against degenerative
diseases to replace the synthetic drugs which have surplus side
effects.
Acknowledgments
Authors record their thanks to Director, Institute of Bioresources
and Sustainable Development for the support and encouragements.
We would like to thank Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India
for the funding (Grant No - BT/01/08/IBSD/Sikkim dated 23/03/
2009) for the establishment of Institute of Bioresources and Sus-
tainable Development (Regional Centre) at Sikkim.
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