PRODUCTION, ISOLATION AND IDENTIFICATION OF LOW-MOLECULAR MASS PEPTIDES FROM BLUE CHEESE BY HIGH-PERFORMANCE LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHY

The blue cheese nitrogenous fractions soluble in water and in 5% phosphotungstic acid (PTA) were analysed by HPLC after 3-180 d ripening. In the water-soluble fraction, in addition to four or five major peaks corresponding to amino acids, there were many minor peaks, which increased during ripening. The low molecular mass peptides, soluble in 5% PTA, showed ripening-induced increments. A method combining precipitation with 5% PTA, gel permeation and subsequent HPLC was used to isolate some peptides of cheese. Four peptides containing between seven and ten residues were isolated and their amino acid composition and N-terminal residues determined.