Whey protein (WP) from cow's milk is a rich source of essential and
branched chain amino acids.
Whey protein isolates (WPI) has been demonstrated to support muscle accretion,
antioxidant activity, and immune modulation. However, whey is not readily digestible due to its tight conformational structure. Treatment of WPI with hyperbaric pressure results in protein unfolding. This enhances protein digestion, and results in an altered spectrum of released
peptides, and greater release of essential and
branched chain amino acids. Pressurized
whey protein isolates (pWPI), through a series of cell culture, animal models and clinical studies, have been demonstrated to enhance muscle accretion, reduce
inflammation, improve immunity, and decrease
fatigue. It is also conceivable that pWPI would be more accessible to digestive
enzymes, which would allow for a more rapid proteolysis of the
proteins and an increased or altered release of small bioactive
peptides. The altered profile of
peptides released from WP digestion could thus play a role in the modulation of the immune response and tissue
glutathione (GSH) concentrations. The research to date presents potentially interesting applications for the development of new functional foods based on hyperbaric treatment of WPI to produce products with more potent nutritional and nutraceutical properties.