Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum CD101 and Staphylococcus simulans NJ201 on in Vitro and in Vivo Antioxidant Activity of Fermented Sausage Derived Peptides

In order to systematically explore the effect of starter on the antioxidant activity of peptides from fermented sausage, the in vitro antioxidant activity of crude peptides extracted from naturally and starter fermented sausage were assessed. The results showed that the peptides from starter fermented sausage had a stronger ability to chelate metal ions and scavenge 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and hydroxyl radicals, which increased by 13%, 10% and 20%, respectively, compared with the control group, while the 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) radical scavenging capacity was weaker than that of the peptides from naturally fermented sausage. Furthermore, the in vivo antioxidant activity of the peptides from starter fermented sausage was evaluated using a mouse model of D-galactose-induced aging. The results of growth performance showed that the crude peptides could promote the growth of mice and increase visceral indices. Moreover, the crude peptides significantly increased the activities of various antioxidant enzymes in the mouse serum and liver tissue including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) as well as total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) content, restoring the antioxidant capacity to normal and even higher than normal levels. This study has shown that the crude peptides from starter fermented sausage have outstanding antioxidant activity, and thus can provide another option for the development of protein-derived antioxidant peptides.