Abstract:Black soybean protein and whey protein are two kinds of high-quality plant or animal protein materials. Their consumption can improve the immune characteristics of the body. However, there are relatively few studies on the immunomodulatory effect of the black soybean-whey protein blend. In this study, four groups of rats were fed with a standard diet (CP), whey protein diet (WP), black bean protein diet (BSP) and black soybean-whey protein blend diet (BS-WP) for 60 days. At the end of the feeding cycle, serum biochemical indicators, IgM, IgA and IgG mass concentrations, spleen lymphocyte proliferation index, natural killer cell activity, spleen index and thymus index were measured to explore the regulatory effect of black soybean-whey protein blend on the immune system of rats. Results showed that compared with the single protein source group, the serum immune biochemical indexes (total protein, albumin, globulin, urea nitrogen, alanine transaminase levels) of the black soybean-whey protein blend group significantly increased (P<0.05). The mass concentrations of IgG, IgA and IgM increased significantly (P<0.05), with the increase of IgG content being the most significant. Compared with the groups treated whey protein or black soybean protein singly, the IgG content of the protein blend group increased by 38.23% and 41.02%, respectively. In addition, the spleen and thymus indexes significantly increased (P<0.05), with the increase of the spleen index being 35.33% and 35.91%, respectively, and the increase of the thymus index being 31.51% and 34.26%, respectively. Therefore, black soybean-whey blended protein blend diet can significantly improve the body immunity capacities of rats.
