โปรตีนและโปรตีนไฮโดรไลเซทจากผำ
นวัตกรรมเพปไทด์ออกฤทธิ์ทางชีวภาพ

Wolffia globosa, commonly known as duckweed or water meal, is recognized as the world’s smallest flowering aquatic plant and is rapidly gaining global attention as an exceptional green superfood. Boasting a remarkable dry-weight protein content ranging from 20% to 40%, it presents an environmentally sustainable alternative to conventional soy and animal proteins. Importantly, Wolffia exhibits a balanced essential amino acid profile that closely satisfies the nutritional standards established by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO), notably containing rich branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) such as leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Beyond its macroscopic nutrient concentration, the cellular organization of Wolffia makes it easily digestible, providing a scalable and high-yield solution for tackling future global food security challenges and protein supply volatility.

The functional transformation of raw Wolffia protein into advanced protein hydrolysates marks a major scientific stride in bioactive nutrient delivery. Through enzymatic hydrolysis, complex plant proteins are structurally broken down into short-chain bioactive peptides. These low-molecular-weight peptides possess improved solubility and rapid absorption dynamics within the human intestinal tract compared to intact protein matrices. From an academic standpoint, these digested fractions demonstrate exceptional antioxidant properties, neutralizing destructive free radicals and mitigating cellular oxidation. Certain peptide fragments also show high potential in inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), representing a promising preventive treatment pathway for cardiovascular hypertension and inflammation. Fortifying functional food substrates with these potent bio-peptides provides direct preventive health benefits to consumers.

Building upon this biochemical potential, the pioneering work of Phakthanakanok, Kongtoom, and Puttipan (2026) solved the industrial processing challenge of formulating these sensitive hydrolysates into consumer-ready foods. By utilizing drum drying technology, they successfully developed an instant, protein-hydrolysate-fortified porridge from Wolffia globosa. The extremely rapid thermal dehydration mechanism of the double drum system effectively converts the liquid plant slurry into dry, highly stable flakes while simultaneously preserving the critical thermodynamic properties of the bioactive peptides and essential amino acids. This synthesis of bio-peptide technology and modern food engineering bridges the critical gap between laboratory-scale chemical extraction and commercial-scale product development, delivering a functional, highly digestible, and nutrient-dense dietary alternative ideal for aging demographics and health-conscious consumer groups worldwide.