In vitro digestion mimicking conditions in young and elderly reveals marked differences between profiles and potential bioactivity of peptides from meat and soy proteins

We applied in vitro models of gastrointestinal (GI) digestion simulating the conditions of the GI tract of healthy adults and elderly individuals with achlorhydria (EA) to investigate differences in the digestibility of meat (chicken, beef and pork) and soy proteins. Digestibility was significantly affected by EA alterations. Peptidomics analyses revealed significant differences in peptide profiles between control and EA conditions, including number, length distribution, clustering, and differentially abundant peptides (DAPs). Our results revealed that the differences in meat peptide profiles diminished going from the gastric to intestinal phase. For soy protein, the marked differences between control and EA conditions were maintained in the gastric and intestinal phases. Higher numbers of potentially bioactive peptides were generated under the control condition compared to the EA condition. The present study provides insight into the distinct peptide profiles generated by in vitro digestion of meat and soy proteins under adult and EA GI conditions.