Antioxidant Peptides Derived from Cheese Products via Single and Mixed Strain Fermentation.

Probiotics are used in cheese fermentation to endow the product with unique functional properties, such as enhanced flavor and aroma development through proteolysis and lipolysis. In this study, two probiotic strains, A3 and WQY-1, were selected to develop new probiotic cheeses in the form of single- and mixed-strain starters. The results demonstrated that the A3 single-strain group and the A3/ WQY-1 mixed fermentation group exhibited superior product performance, particularly the release of functional hydrolysates during cheese ripening. Furthermore, Label-free quantitative proteomic analysis revealed 26 unique antioxidant peptides in the A3 single-strain group and 53 in the A3/ WQY-1 mixed fermentation group. Among these, CMENSAEPEQSLACQCL (β-lactoglobulin), CMENSAEPEQSLVCQCL (β-lactoglobulin), and IQYVLSR (κ-casein) have been found to possess potential antioxidant properties both and . This confirmed that milk-derived protein peptides in cheese products exhibit potential antioxidant functions through the hydrolysis of probiotic strains.