Katsuobushi Oligopeptide

1, What is gKatsuobushi (dried bonito) Oligopeptideh ?

gKatsuobushi (dried bonito) Oligopeptideh described below is protease digests of Katsuobushi (dried bonito), a Japanese traditional seasoning made of bonito muscle.
Protein made of over one hundred amino acids is converted to amino acids by digestive enzymes, when it is taken into human body. Protein is not completely digested to each amino acid at one time, but is partially hydrolyzed to peptides, consisting of two to ten amino acids, and then gradually decomposed and absorbed through digestive organs into body. During this decomposition process, amino acid sequence less than ten amino acids is called gOligopeptideh.


What is Katsuobushi?
Katsuobushi is a Japanese traditional food and has 1500 years of history. Down the ages, Japanese have used it to make soup stock and to season the food.
This is Katsuobushi oligopeptide derived from Katsuobushi.



2, Katsuobushi (dried bonito) Oligopeptide shows anti-hypertensive activity

Oligopeptides are produced from any food protein taken into human body. Primary structure of the oligopeptide will be changed and are depend on a kind of raw material protein or proteases worked because each protein has its own amino acid sequence and each digestive enzyme has different decomposing activity. In short, in some cases, protein can produce especially useful oligopeptides to human body and others do not.
Recently, gKatsuobushi Oligopeptideh was found with anti-hypertensive activity. Professor Masaaki Yoshikawa, department of Food Science and Technology in Kyoto University, showed that gKatsuobushi Oligopeptideh was obtained from gthermolysinh digest of dried bonito.

3, Katsuobushi (dried bonito) Oligopeptide is converted into active form during digestion

The main component in gKatsuobushi Oligopeptideh, showing anti-hypertensive activity, is a sequence of five amino acids, gLKPNMh (Leu-Lys-Pro-Asn-Met). This amino acid sequence is characteristic of Katsuobushi Oligopeptide. You can not take the same peptide from any other ordinary food or Katsuobushi itself.
LKPNM is converted into gLKPh (Leu-Lys-Pro) and gNMh (Asn-Met) in digestive organs or blood. The converted gLKPh, having anti-hypertensive activity, is called as gActive Formh.
This reaction is important to show the long-lasting and moderate anti-hypertensive activity of Katsuobushi Oligopeptide.



Katsuobushi oligopeptide lowers blood pressure by suppressing blood vessel contraction