This study investigates the enzymatic hydrolysis of soybean (Glycine max L.) and mung bean (Vigna radiata) proteins using bromelain, ficin, papain, and pepsin to improve digestibility and functional properties. We hypothesized that mung bean's less compact structure would yield higher degree of hydrolysis (DH) and bioactive peptides compared to soybean, enhancing antioxidant capacity for functional foods. Mung bean showed significantly higher proteolysis, with a maximum DH of 46.5 ± 2.1 % (p ≤ 0.05) using 10 % bromelain for 12 h, versus soybean's 26.9 ± 1.5 % (p ≤ 0.05). Bromelain and ficin outperformed papain and pepsin, producing up to 62.3 ± 3.2 % oligopeptides and 32.4 g/100 g free amino acids in mung bean. Mung bean hydrolysates exhibited superior antioxidant activity, reaching 78.4 ± 2.5 % DPPH scavenging (p ≤ 0.05), compared to soybean's 58.9 ± 2.0 % (p ≤ 0.05), due to increased 200–1000 Da peptides. Optimal conditions (10 % enzyme, 12 h) improved solubility and bioactivity, highlighting mung bean's potential and bromelain's efficacy for sustainable food applications, warranting further protease research.

This study investigated the effects of elevated copper levels on the early-stage growth and development of three Arundo donax (giant reed) ecotypes (STM, BL, and ESP) from different climatic zones, focusing on plant morpho-physiological and copper biochemical changes (including root structure, photosynthetic structure, copper accumulation and translocation, soluble protein, and lipid peroxidation). Plants were grown under increasing concentrations of copper (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg), revealing that copper accumulation was predominantly localized in the roots, with ESP showing the highest at 1829 μg/g, followed by STM (1191 μg/g) and BL (935 μg/g) at 400 mg/kg. While morphological traits like plant height and stem diameter were less affected, root volume decreased significantly at high copper levels (e.g., by 60 % in BL from 10.00 cm³ in control to 4.00 cm³ at 400 mg/kg). Physiological responses varied significantly: photosynthetic pigments increased with moderate copper levels (e.g., chlorophyll a in BL from 31.67 μg/cm² in control to 49.19 μg/cm² at 400 mg/kg) but declined at higher concentrations in ESP. Lipid peroxidation, measured by malondialdehyde (MDA), indicated increased oxidative stress, especially in STM and ESP (e.g., root MDA in STM from 14.22 nmol/g in control to 26.30 nmol/g at 400 mg/kg). These results highlight the ESP ecotype's higher tolerance and copper sequestration capabilities, making it a promising candidate for further studies in copper-stressed environments.

Green biomass serves as an eco-friendly, plant-derived substitute for conventional protein sources. Leaf protein concentrate (LPC) not only acts as a viable alternative to animal-derived proteins but also contains essential vitamins and bioactive compounds providing nutraceutical advantages. The extraction technique plays a critical role in maximizing LPC yield. In this study, green juice derived from the wet pressing of green triticale biomass was divided into two aliquots, each subjected to distinct processing techniques for LPC isolation. One portion underwent direct thermal coagulation via microwave irradiation, followed by vacuum filtration, yielding green LPC (MW-GLPC) and its brown juice (GJ-BJ). The other was first centrifuged to remove large photosynthetic complexes, producing yellow juice that was subsequently thermally coagulated and vacuum filtered to obtain yellow LPC (YLPC) and its brown juice (YJ-BJ).The crude protein content in the MW-GLPC fraction (38.44 g 100 g−1 DW) was higher than the raw green juice (16.38 g 100 g−1 DW). YLPC fraction, obtained by incorporating a centrifugation step into the process, resulted in a significantly increase in crude protein (67.22 g 100 g−1 DW). For fractions of brown juice (BJ), the crude protein content differed depending on the processing technique, with GJ-BJ exhibiting 0.73 g 100 g−1 FW and YJ-BJ displaying 1.06 g 100 g−1 FW. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) indicated that BJ primarily contained oligopeptides ranging from 200 to 3000 Da.Phytochemical assessments demonstrated that YLPC exhibits the highest concentration of some beneficial bioactive compounds, such as luteolin (27.2 μg g−1), and isovitexin (111.6 μg g−1). These findings are consistent with results obtained from the Drosophila melanogaster model under high-sugar conditions designed to simulate high-sugar-induced stress. Flies supplemented with a concentration of 20% YLPC demonstrated a 10.52% increase in viability relative to the control group, thereby indicating the beneficial potential of YLPC in high-sugar containing environments.