Biologically active peptides: Processes for their generation,purification and identification and applications as natural additives in the food and pharmaceutical industries

Recent technological advances have created great interest in the use of biologically active peptides. Bioactive peptides can be defined as specific portions of proteins with 2 to 20 amino acids that have desirable biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-hypertensive, antithrombotic, anti-adipogenic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. Specific characteristics, including low toxicity and high specificity, make these molecules of particular interest to the food and pharmaceutical industries. This review focuses on the production of bioactive peptides, with special emphasis on fermentation and enzymatic hydrolysis. The combination of different technologies and the use of auxiliary processes are also addressed. A survey of isolation, purification and peptide characterization methods was conducted to identify the major techniques used to determine the structures of bioactive peptides. Finally, the antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-hypertensive, anti-adipogenic activities and probiotic-bacterial growth-promoting aspects of various peptides are discussed.     

Enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins and production of bioactive peptides using high hydrostatic pressure technology

BackgroundBioactive peptides (BPs) generated by hydrolysis of food proteins exhibit a broad spectrum of biological properties (antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, etc.) in both in vitro and in vivo models. Initially obtained from milk and egg products, BPs have now largely been obtained from food byproducts such as marine, animal and plant biomasses. Amongst the various strategies being developed for BPs production, enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) is the most widely preferred due to its GRAS nature. However, the main challenge of EH is to decrease the time and quantity of enzyme, and improve yield and bioactivity of BPs.Scope and approachConsequently, innovative and efficient food technologies have been developed to satisfy these needs. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing, a non-thermal technology, initially developed to extend food shelf-life, is being considered as a promising tool to improve the efficiency of EH and generate high value-added peptide fractions from various complex biomasses.Findings and conclusionsThis innovative and emerging technology enhances EH by inducing protein unfolding/denaturation, as well as activating the enzymes used while maintaining their nutritional and functional properties. This review discusses the state of the art of HHP technique, its applications in combination with EH, and potential challenges for the production of BPs from food-derived protein sources.     

Whey as a source of peptides with remarkable biological activities

The dairy industry generates increased amounts of whey from both cheese and casein production facilities. Whey presents an elevated content of lactose and proteins, which are associated with its high biological oxygen demand and decomposing potential. Despite its potential as pollutant, whey has been considered as a dairy by-product due to its nutritional, functional and bioactive properties. The use of enzyme technology may be an interesting strategy to convert whey into added-value products. The hydrolysis of whey proteins can generate bioactive peptides, which are described to perform physiological effects in vivo, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antihypertensive and antidiabetic activities. Bioactive peptides derived from whey proteins have been also associated with immunomodulatory, anticancer, opioid and hypocholesterolemic activities. This review presents a discussion on the main biological activities of peptides derived from whey proteins.     

改善心血管健康的食源性生物活性肽构效关系研究进展

食物源生物活性肽作为可改善健康状况的营养成分可由动植物食品在人体内消化或加工过程中产生,并表现出抗氧化、免疫调节、调节阿片样受体及抗菌、降压、降血脂、抗血栓等多种生理活性。通过调节和改善人体生理功能,生物活性肽可用于预防和治疗心血管疾病等慢性病。活性肽的来源、结构对其功能性质有重要影响。本文综述了与心血管健康有关的活性肽的构效关系研究进展,并对其研究前景进行展望。     

Fish protein hydrolysates: Proximate composition,amino acid composition,antioxidant activities and applications: A review

The fish processing industry produces more than 60% by-products as waste, which includes skin, head, viscera, trimmings, liver, frames, bones, and roes. These by-product wastes contain good amount of protein rich material that are normally processed into low market-value products, such as animal feed, fish meal and fertilizer. In view of utilizing these fish industry wastes, and for increasing the value to several underutilised fish species, protein hydrolysates from fish proteins are being prepared by several researchers all over the world. Fish protein hydrolysates are breakdown products of enzymatic conversion of fish proteins into smaller peptides, which normally contain 2–20 amino acids. In recent years, fish protein hydrolysates have attracted much attention of food biotechnologists due to the availability of large quantities of raw material for the process, and presence of high protein content with good amino acid balance and bioactive peptides (antioxidant, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory and antimicrobial peptides).     

Bioactive peptides from selected latin american food crops – A nutraceutical and molecular approach

This review reported an updated survey on the molecular functional properties of bioactive peptides derived from different Latin American ancient grains such as Maize, common Bean, Amaranth, Quinoa and Chia seeds. Seed storage proteins ecrypt in their sequences diverse peptides associated with a wide range of beneficial effects on the human health and the most studied are antihypertensive, anti-cholesterolemic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial and immunomodulatory properties. Additionally, in the last decades molecular properties have been also used for their characterization to understand their activities and it makes them highly attractive to be incorporated into food formulations and to complement or replace some conventional cereal grains. Due to the nutraceutical effects, today, these seeds are one of the main gastronomic trends of consumption worldwide due to their nutritional benefits and are part of the shopping lists of many people, among them vegetarians, vegans, celiacs or lovers of raw food. These seeds are a legacy of pre-Columbian civilizations reason why in our time they are considered as “Superfoods of the Gods”, “The pre-hispanic superfoods of the future” and “The new golden seeds of the XXI century”.     

Physiological,chemical and technological aspects of milk-protein-derived peptides with antihypertensive and ACE-inhibitory activity

Among the bioactive peptides derived from milk proteins, those with blood pressure-lowering effects are receiving special attention due to the prevalence and importance of hypertension in the Western population. A few antihypertensive products based on milk-protein-derived peptides with clinically proven health benefits already exist. This paper reviews the current literature on milk-derived peptides with antihypertensive effects. The structure-activity characteristics of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory peptides are discussed, as well as their bioavailability, potential physiological affects and the existence of mechanisms of action other than ACE inhibition. The paper also focuses on the technological aspects of the production of bioactive dairy products with antihypertensive peptides, either by fermentation with selected microorganisms or by in vitro-hydrolysis and enrichment. Finally, the stability of the peptides during production and processing is addressed, including the potential interactions with other food components and their influence on peptide bioactivity and bioavailability.     

Peptides: Production,bioactivity, functionality,and applications

ABSTRACT

Production of peptides with various effects from proteins of different sources continues to receive academic attention. Researchers of different disciplines are putting increasing efforts to produce bioactive and functional peptides from different sources such as plants, animals, and food industry by-products. The aim of this review is to introduce production methods of hydrolysates and peptides and provide a comprehensive overview of their bioactivity in terms of their effects on immune, cardiovascular, nervous, and gastrointestinal systems. Moreover, functional and antioxidant properties of hydrolysates and isolated peptides are reviewed. Finally, industrial and commercial applications of bioactive peptides including their use in nutrition and production of pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals are discussed.     

Bioactive peptides from marine processing waste and shellfish: A review

Marine organisms such as fish and shellfish are rich sources of structurally diverse bioactive nitrogenous components. Based on emerging evidence of potential health benefits, these components show significant promise as functional food ingredients. Activities including antihypertensive, antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-coagulant, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, immunostimulatory, calcium-binding, hypocholesteremic and appetite suppression have been reported. Fish and shellfish waste components contain significant levels of high quality protein (10–23% (w/w)) which represents a source for biofunctional peptide mining. This review summarises the protein-derived bioactive peptides identified in marine processing waste, molluscs and crustaceans. Moreover, it highlights the potential of proteins derived from these marine organisms as substrates for the generation of biofunctional peptides. It outlines current technologies used in the production, fractionation and purification of marine protein-derived peptides and lists some commercially available products containing marine derived bioactive protein hydrolysates and peptides. Finally, bioactive proteins, non-protein peptides and amino acids found in fish and shellfish are briefly discussed.     

Application and bioactive properties of proteins and peptides derived from hen eggs: opportunities and challenges

Several proteins and peptides that are released in vitro and/or in vivo from hen eggs are biologically active and have a variety of functional properties in humans beyond normal nutrition, for which extensive studies have been performed. This review focuses on their biological activities, including antihypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiadhesive, immunomodulatory and antithrombotic activities and enhancement of mineral absorption. These proteins and peptides have been shown to regulate the nervous system, cardiovascular system, immune system and gastrointestinal system. The potential application and future directions of research on these bioactive peptides and proteins in the food industry are also addressed. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry     

Antioxidant and antimicrobial peptidic hydrolysates from muscle protein sources and by-products

Bioactive peptides are short peptides approximately 2–30 amino acids in length. They are inactive within the sequence of the parent protein and can be released during gastrointestinal digestion, during food processing or by hydrolysis using commercial enzymes. Meat derived peptides have a myriad of bioactive potential including, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-thrombotic, ACE-I-inhibitory and cytomodulatory functions. Antioxidant and antimicrobial peptides isolated from meat muscle sources may be used as functional ingredient in food formulations to impart human health benefits and/or improve the shelf life of foods. This review collates information regarding peptidic hydrolysates with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties isolated from vertebrate and invertebrate muscle and by-products, identifying the sources, the isolation and characterisation techniques used, and the methods used to demonstrate these bioactivities in vitro.     

A Comprehensive Review of Corn Protein‐derived Bioactive Peptides: Production,Characterization, Bioactivities,and Transport Pathways

Bioactive peptides are specific peptide fragments that positively exert various functional and biological activities and ultimately influence health. Corn protein are potential precursor proteins for bioactive peptides. This review encompasses the studies reported to date on the production, isolation, purification, and characterization technologies of bioactive corn peptides (CPs), with particular attention being devoted to these peptides’ different health effects, including antioxidant, antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, alcohol‐metabolism‐facilitating, anti‐inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP‐IV) inhibitory activities. The review also describes studies examining the potential mechanisms believed to be involved in these bioactivities, and the possible absorption and transport pathways of CPs are summarized.     

植物源生物活性肽的研究进展

生物活性肽是一类对生物机体有益且易被机体吸收的小分子聚合物,是由2～20个氨基酸组成的蛋白质片段,其功能性质由氨基酸组成和排列顺序决定。植物是生物活性肽的天然宝库,植物源生物活性肽种类丰富、结构新颖,是近年来的研究热点。生物活性肽被视为营养保健品和功能食品成分,除了含有丰富的营养价值之外,还具有抗氧化、降血压、抑菌、降血脂和维持血糖水平平衡等功能,可利用其功能治疗、控制和预防慢性疾病,对食品、医药和美容等领域的发展具有重要意义。本文综述了近5年从植物中获取生物活性肽的最新进展,系统地总结了抗氧化肽、降压肽、抗菌肽、降血糖肽和降血脂肽的作用机制,与目前最常见的健康问题进行对应说明。对生物活性肽的制备方法、分离纯化和鉴定技术进行总结比较,并对生物活性肽的未来发展趋势以及在实际应用中遇到的问题进行展望,为未来植物源生物活性肽的进一步研究开发与应用提供参考。     

动物血液蛋白质及活性肽开发研究进展

动物血液作为畜禽屠宰及加工的主要副产物,富含蛋白质、微量元素、矿物质、激素、维生素、酶类等多种功能成分,营养价值较高。其中,蛋白质作为动物血液的主要营养成分,占动物全血含量的10%～20%,其氨基酸组成丰富,富含赖氨酸,是一种优质的动物蛋白资源,素有“液态肉”之称,具有广阔的开发应用前景。本文主要综述动物血液蛋白质的研究进展及开发应用现状,重点总结了近年来以动物血液蛋白为原料开发的具有特定生理功能的生物活性肽,如抗氧化肽、抗菌肽、免疫调节肽、抗癌肽、降血压肽、抗糖尿病肽等,对活性肽的结构、序列及活性功能进行系统阐述,并对动物血液蛋白实际应用中出现的问题以及未来发展趋势进行展望,旨在为动物血液蛋白的高附加值开发利用提供参考。     

Bioactive peptides as natural antioxidants in food products – A review

BackgroundDiseases related to oxidative stress and food quality decay are of major concern worldwide as they can lead to economic losses in both public health and food production. The antioxidant peptides, extracted from food proteins, can be explored as natural new drug and food ingredient.Scope and approachAntioxidant peptides are extracted from non-antioxidant precursor proteins from different origin by the activity of either proteolytic microorganisms or isolated enzymes. In the present review, the main sources of bioactive peptides will be discussed. Moreover, the current strategies to obtain these compounds as well as their health benefits and in vivo biological effects will be evaluated. Considerations for further research and development of strategies to increase the knowledge about this underexplored activity of peptides will be also considered.Key findings and conclusionsBioactive peptides' content and profile differ according to the matrix studied and the method used. The utilization of fermentation processes and enzymes has been established to obtain antioxidant bioactive peptides from proteins, being isolated enzymes the most commonly used method, due to their superior control over releasing and obtaining targeted peptides. Antioxidant peptides have the ability to reduce the formation of oxidative products along with the induction of antioxidant enzymes in vivo. However, at this stage of development more in vivo studies are needed in order to evaluate the specific effects on the health of selected antioxidant peptides. In food technology, successful application in meat products strengthens the role of selected peptides as antioxidant additives, although there is a need to observe the effects of the isolated bioactive peptides in other food matrices along with studies to scale-up its production.     

火腿中生物活性肽的研究进展

生物活性肽是短氨基酸序列,从母体蛋白中释放后可发挥不同的生理作用,包括抗氧化、抗高血压、抗菌和其他生物活性。火腿在长期发酵过程中由于组织内源性酶和微生物的作用,使蛋白质降解产生许多小分子肽类物质,许多研究表明这些肽类物质具有生物活性。该文对火腿中生物活性肽的产生机制、功能特性、制备方法、分离纯化的研究进展进行综述,为生物活性肽进一步的开发与利用提供参考依据。     

The use of edible insect proteins in food: Challenges and issues related to their functional properties

Over the past decade, the potential of edible insects as a novel ingredient in high value-added products has been investigated to find alternatives to conventional protein sources that are expensive, over-exploited and harmful to the environment. This review assesses the state of insects as an alternative protein source from production to consumption. More specifically, this review details the conventional procedures related to the production of insect flours as well as insect-derived ingredients such as protein concentrates and isolates. As a source of alternative protein in food ingredient formulations, the available data on the functionalities of edible insect ingredients is also examined and compared to conventional animal- and plant-based protein sources. Finally, the major challenges facing entomophagy in the mainstream food industry are explored. This review highlights the fact that insect proteins can serve as functional ingredients in food preparation. However, additional comparative studies are required to assess the functionality of various insect proteins compared to conventional proteins, regardless of processing method. To be incorporated into large scale industries, more research is needed to optimize processing methods to obtain the best compromise between cost-effectiveness, functionality, tastiness and sustainability, while ensuring consumer safety.     

Processing,Nutrition, and Functionality of Hempseed Protein: A Review

The increasing demand for plant proteins, along with rising awareness of the nutritional and functional roles of dietary proteins, has prompted the nutrition and food industry to explore nontraditional protein sources. Hempseed protein with its excellent nutritional value and superior digestibility has drawn great interest in both scientific and industrial fields. In this review, the chemistry and nutritional quality of hempseed protein and the health benefits of bioactive peptides derived thereof are highlighted. Processing, functionality, and application of various hemp protein products, including hempseed meal, hemp protein concentrates, and hemp protein isolates, are discussed. Moreover, recent advances in technological innovation to improve hempseed protein functionality are introduced. The objective of this review is to provide an updated summary of the research on hempseed protein and to fill the knowledge gap in the exploitation of potential nutritional, health, and processing benefits of this emerging protein source.     

Enzymatic Production,Bioactivity, and Bitterness of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) Peptides

Chickpeas are inexpensive, protein rich (approximately 20% dry mass) pulses available worldwide whose consumption has been correlated with positive health outcomes. Dietary peptides are important molecules derived from dietary proteins, but a comprehensive analysis of the peptides that can be produced from chickpea proteins is missing in the literature. This review provides information from the past 20 years on the enzymatic production of peptides from chickpea proteins, the reported bioactivities of chickpea protein hydrolysates and peptides, and the potential bitterness of chickpea peptides in food products. Chickpea peptides have been enzymatically produced with pepsin, trypsin, chymotrypsin, alcalase, flavorzyme, and papain either alone or in combination, but the sequences of many of the peptides in chickpea protein hydrolysates remain unknown. In addition, a theoretical hydrolysis of chickpea legumin by stem bromelain and ficin was performed by the authors to highlight the potential use of these enzymes to produce bioactive chickpea peptides. Antioxidant activity, hypocholesterolemic, and angiotensin 1‐converting enzyme inhibition are the most studied bioactivities of chickpea protein hydrolysates and peptides, but anticarcinogenic, antimicrobial, and anti‐inflammatory effects have also been reported for chickpea protein hydrolysates and peptides. Chickpea bioactive peptides are not currently commercialized, but their bitterness could be a major impediment to their incorporation in food products. Use of flavorzyme in the production of chickpea protein hydrolysates has been proposed to decrease their bitterness. Future research should focus on the optimization of chickpea bioactive peptide enzymatic production, studying the bioactivity of chickpea peptides in humans, and systematically analyzing chickpea peptide bitterness.     

Understanding the potential benefits of thyme and its derived products for food industry and consumer health: From extraction of value-added compounds to the evaluation of bioaccessibility,bioavailability, anti-inflammatory,and antimicrobial activities

ABSTRACT

Natural bioactive compounds isolated from several aromatic plants have been studied for centuries due to their unique characteristics that carry great importance in food, and pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. For instance, several beneficial activities have been attributed to some specific compounds found in Thymus such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antiseptic properties. Moreover, these compounds are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) which means they can be used as an ingrident of may food producs. Conventional extraction processes of these compounds and their derived forms from thyme leaves are well established. Hoewever, they present some important drawbacks such as long extraction time, low yield, high solvent consumption and degradation thermolabile compounds. Therefore, innovative extraction techniques such as ultrasound, microwave, enzyme, ohmic and heat-assisted methods can be useful strategies to enhance the exytraction yield and to reduce processing temperature, extraction time, and energy and solvent consumption. Furthermore, bioaccessibility and bioavailability aspects of these bioactive compounds as well as their metabolic fates are crucial for developing novel functional foods. Additionally, immobilization methods to improve stability, solubility, and the overall bioavailability of these valuable compounds are necessary for their commercial applications. This review aims to give an overall perspective of innovative extraction techniques to extract the targeted compounds with anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Moreover, the bioaccessi-bility and bioavailability of these compounds before and after processing discussed. In addition, some of the most important characteristics of thyme and their derived products discussed in this paper.