Can artisanal “Coalho” cheese from Northeastern Brazil be used as a functional food?

► Bioactive properties of “Coalho” cheese were reported for the first time. ► An average of 65 peptides (800–3500Da) resulted from proteolysis in the production. ► Peptides from cheeses showed zinc-binding, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. ► Antimicrobial activity was against Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and P. aeruginosa. Brazilian artisanal “Coalho” cheeses from six Northeast towns were investigated as a functional food based on their peptide profiles and antioxidant, zinc-binding and antimicrobial activities. The peptides (WSP) from “Coalho” cheese showed high antioxidant activity, the best value of TEAC being 2223±10.10μM, which means 91.1±0.43% oxidative inhibition and peptide concentration for IC50 of 7mg/mL (21μg of peptides) for sample from the town of Correntes. The smallest TEAC value (1896±17μM), which means 75.9±0.7% oxidative inhibition and IC50 of 10.5mg/mL (31.5μg of peptide), was obtained for samples from the town of São Bento do Una. The zinc-binding activities were: Arcoverde (72.21±0.24%) Cachoeirinha (75.02±0.02%), Capoeiras (61.78±0.65%), Correntes (75.47±0.5%), São Bento do Una (75.41±0.15%), and Venturosa (74.36±0.04%). The WSP extracts showed antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. All the results obtained suggest that “Coalho” cheese has potential as a functional food.