Plant-Based Proteins, Peptides and Amino Acids in Food Products Dedicated for Sportspeople—A Narrative Review of the Literature

Plant proteins are increasingly seen as critical nutrient sources for both amateur and professional athletes. The aim of the presented study was to review the inventions and experimental articles referring to the application of plant-based proteins, peptides and amino acids in food products dedicated to sportspeople and published in the period 2014–2023. The literature search was conducted according to PRISMA statementsacross several key databases, including Scopus and ISI Web of Science. Altogether, 106 patents and 35 original articles were found. The survey of patents and inventions described in the articles showed the use of 52 taxa (mainly annual herbaceous plants), creating edible seeds and representing mainly the families Fabaceae and Poaceae. The majority of inventions were developed by research teams numbering from two to five scientists, affiliated in China, The United States of America and Japan. The greatest number of inventions applied plant-based proteins (especially protein isolates), declared the nutritional activity and were prepared in liquid or solid consistency. According to the reviewed studies, the intake of soybean and potato proteins might provide better results than animal-based protein (excluding resistance training), whereas the consumption of pea and rice protein does not possess any unique anabolic properties over whey protein. The analysis of other investigations demonstrated the varied acceptability and consumption of food products, while the high rating of the tested food products presented in four articles seems to be an effect of their sensual values, as well as other elements, such as production method, health benefits and cost-effectiveness. Considering the great potential of useful plant species, it might be concluded that future investigations focusing on searching for novel plant protein sources, suitable for the preparation of food products dedicated to amateur and professional sportspeople, remain of interest.


Introduction
Proteins are composed of naturally occurring 20 types of amino acids and are an essential component of human nutrition.Nevertheless, animal species (including humans) can produce solely 11 non-essential amino acids (NEAAs) represented by alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine.The remaining essential amino acids (EAAs), represented by histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine, must be obtained in the diet.At the same time, it should be pointed out that three branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)-leucine, isoleucine, and valine-are unique among the EAAs due to their roles in neural function, blood glucose and insulin regulation, as well as protein metabolism.Plotkin et al. [1] argued that leucine, valine and isoleucine boost muscle growth and enhance exercise performance.
At the same time, Kreider and Bill [2] pointed out that there is a significant body of evidence to indicate that individuals who are engaged in intense training require more dietary Nutrients 2024, 16, 1706 2 of 34 protein than their sedentary counterparts.For most individuals, this level of protein intake can be obtained from a diet or dietary supplements.The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) confirmed that dietary supplements containing essential amino acids [3] and proteins [4] have beneficial effects on skeletal muscle maintenance and performance and should be used by athletes to achieve the exercise and training daily demands.To date, a substantial number of the narrative and systematic reviews of the literature have evidenced the important role of such supplementation in the diet of professional and recreative sportspeople.Some authors documented the favourable effects of proteins consumed as dairy products or as supplements in isolated or concentrated form on athlete performance [5,6].The investigations of other researchers concentrated on the effects of protein supplementation on muscle mass and strength [7,8].In turn, König et al. [9] pointed out that bioactive peptides could have a positive impact on changes in body composition and muscular performance, reduction of muscle damage following exercise, and inducing beneficial adaptions within the connective tissue.Similarly, other authors [10,11] discussed the role of protein hydrolysates providing mainly di-and tripeptides in muscle protein anabolism, exercise performance and muscle glycogen resynthesis.Furthermore, numerous researchers outlined the influence of the amino acids both: essential, e.g., [5,12,13] and non-essential, e.g., [5,14,15] on immune function, physical performance and mental health of sportspeople.
At the same time, it should be mentioned that the metabolic response to protein, peptide and amino acid administration has a high degree of interindividual variability and may remarkably depend, among others, on gender [16,17], sports discipline [16,18,19], diet type [20], as well as time of intake [21][22][23].
Over the last decades, the main sources of proteins in athlete's diets were conventional products such as eggs, milk, whey, cheese and meat derived from terrestrial animals [24].The whey protein obtained as a by-product in the production of cheese and butter is very frequently consumed as a supplement in sports nutrition due to a notable content of essential amino acids and BCAAs.In addition, whey proteins have shown several biological properties, among others antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-obesity or cardioprotective.The next widely used protein is ovalbumin showing a complete amino acid profile and excellent digestibility.Furthermore, a high-quality protein source providing all of the essential amino acids in adequate amounts and ratios approximately to human metabolic needs is considered to be the meat of livestock and poultry.At the same time, Penggalih et al. [25] pointed out that marine-derived proteins and peptides, due to their unique amino acid composition, bioavailability and bioactive properties, are a promising source of nutraceuticals and functional food ingredients.Bioactive peptides especially rich in branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) have a positive effect on body composition, increase lean body mass and muscle strength, enhance glucose intake into muscles, as well as help to heal muscle soreness and recovery from heavy exercise.It is worth mentioning that among the most promising marine protein sources are listed, among others, tunicate, bivalve and fish.Nevertheless, recently, other promising alternative protein sources possible to use in modern sports nutrition such as insects [26][27][28][29], fungi [28][29][30] or algae [25,[27][28][29] have emerged, and the published scientific data on their nutritional value is still on the rise.At the same time, it should be stated that proteins widely applicable in the diet of athletes might also derive from plants, considered as a sustainable source of bioactive peptides [31].Nevertheless, as stated by Sá et al. [32], depending on the source, plant peptides may be deficient in some essential amino acids.Cereals contrary to pseudocereals contain low levels of lysine, while legumes have a deficiency in sulphur amino acids such as methionine and cysteine.To date, the use of proteins, peptides and amino acids was confirmed above all in the case of: Avena sativa L. [33], Cicer arietinum L. [34], Glycine max (L.) Merr.[35][36][37][38][39], Ipomoea batatas L. Lamarck [40], Lens culinaris Medik.[34], Oryza sativa L. [30,38], Phaseolus lunatus L. [34], Phaseolus vulgaris L. [34,41], Pisum sativum L. [30,34], Triticum L. [33,38], Vigna radiate [34] and Zea mays L. [42].
However, despite growing scientific interest in the application of plant-derived proteins, peptides and amino acids in sports nutrition, the current state of knowledge remains insufficient.Among others, there is a lack of comparative research presenting the use of particular plant taxa in food products dedicated to sportspeople, the activity of proteins deriving from different plant species, and the attitude of athletes towards food products containing protein of different plant species origin.Taking into account the insufficient state of knowledge, the presented study was undertaken.The specific aims were the following: 1.
To prepare a survey of plant taxa applied in food products dedicated to sportspeople; 2.
To make an overview of food products containing plant-based proteins, peptides and amino acids dedicated to sportspeople; 3.
To assess the influence of particular species-deriving proteins, peptides and aminoacids on the health, body composition and performance of sportspeople; 4.
To evaluate the frequency of consumption and acceptance of products containing plant-based proteins, peptides and amino acids by sportspeople.

Literature Search
For this survey, a systematic approach for synthesising information through a dedicated stepwise process for selecting the available peer-reviewed literature sources was applied.
The literature search was conducted across several key databases, including Scopus and ISI Web of Science, most widely used for bibliometric analyses [43], as well as Google Scholar engine.Patents were searched by browsing the Google Patents and Espacenet Patent Search engines, gathering the largest number of open access patents [44,45].The survey of literature records published from 1 January 2014 up to 31 December 2023 was carried out according to PRISMA statements with a focus on factorial combinations of the following keywords in the searches: ("plant") and ("amino acids" or "peptides" or "proteins") and ("athlete" or "sport") and ("food" or "nutrition" or "diet").
The selection terms were examined from the title, abstract and keywords.The literature search was conducted from 5 January to 20 February 2024.The results included 1240 hits from the ISI Web of Science, 443 hits from Scopus,1687 from Google Scholar, 1601 from Google Patents, and 4324 from Espacenet.After the manual removal of grey literature (posts in blogs, letters, manuals, guides, bulletins, newsletters, editorials, commentaries, theses, dissertations, reports, conference proceedings and meeting notes) from the lists of searches, the patents and peer-reviewed articles were selected.Following the removal of duplicates (publications indexed in more than one database), the abstracts of patents and articles were screened for relevance and eligibility.

Study Eligibility and Selection
During abstract and full-text screening, the inclusion criteria for patents were: (i) the use of plant-based proteins, peptides and amino acids in invented food products suitable for sports practitioners, and (ii) abstract and full-text were written in English.
The inclusion criteria for articles were as follows: (i) the investigations were relevant to application of plant-based proteins, peptides and amino acids in sport nutrition, (ii) the investigations included humans as participants, (iii) the investigations were observational, descriptive studies (case report/case series), observational, analytical studies (case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, cohort studies) or experimental studies (randomised controlled trials), (iv) there were no limits regarding the age, weight, sex, nationality or number of participants, (v) there were no limits in geographical location or time period of the investigations, and (vi) the abstract and full text were written in English.The exclusion criteria for articles were as follows: (i) lack of available full-text version, (ii) the investigations were meta-analyses, or (iii) systematic reviews.A chart detailing the search results is presented in Figure 1.
time period of the investigations, and (vi) the abstract and full text were written in English.The exclusion criteria for articles were as follows: (i) lack of available full-text version, (ii) the investigations were meta-analyses, or (iii) systematic reviews.A chart detailing the search results is presented in Figure 1.To assess the quality of the included studies and reduce the potential for misclassification, the abstracts and then full texts of patents and articles were subjected to critical double screening.From eligible patents and articles the following data were extracted: author names, author number, affiliation of first author, year of publication, title and characteristic of invention (consistency, form, plant species used as source of proteins), as well as additionally the age, gender, nationality of participants and outcomes of study in To assess the quality of the included studies and reduce the potential for misclassification, the abstracts and then full texts of patents and articles were subjected to critical double screening.From eligible patents and articles the following data were extracted: author names, author number, affiliation of first author, year of publication, title and characteristic of invention (consistency, form, plant species used as source of proteins), as well as additionally the age, gender, nationality of participants and outcomes of study in the case of articles.The aforementioned data were extracted using the form created in Microsoft Excel.
The statistical significance of differences in the number of inventions: (i) developed by different number of authors, (ii) applying various constituents (amino acids, peptides, proteins), (iii) showing diverse activity (nutrition, increase in muscle mass and strength etc.), and (iv) presenting varied consistency (liquid, solid, etc.), was checked using nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H test.

An Overview of Taxa Recorded in the Inventions
In total, 52 taxa including 45 species representing 20 botanical families were mentioned in the descriptions of presented inventions (Table 1).The majority of taxa represented the families Fabaceae (pulses) and Poaceae (cereals).Soybean Glycine max L. Merr., pea Lathyrus oleraceus Lam., rice Oryza sativa L., maize Zea mays L., as well as common wheat Triticum aestivum L., belong to the most frequently applied species.Also, the family Amaranthaceae (pseudocereals) was abundantly represented.In total, the species pool mentioned in the descriptions of surveyed products dedicated to sportspeople consisted of 24 (53.3%)annuals, 17 (37.8%)perennials, 1 (2.2%) species with lifespan ranges from one to two years, and 3 (6.7%)species showing annual or perennial lifespan.The number of herbaceous plants reached 35 (77.8%), the number of shrubs amounted to 3 (6.7%),and the number of trees was 4 (8.9%).Moreover, 3 (6.7%)species might be classified as shrubs or trees (depending on the height of the individual species).The species applied in products for sportspeople produce at least one edible organ such as seeds (38 species), fruits(23 species), leaves (23 species), shoots (7 species), roots and tubers (5 species), as well as inflorescences, apical buds and leaf petioles (1 species).

An Overview of the Inventions
Altogether, 106 patents and 5 original articles issued in the years 2014-2023 were noted.The number of inventions developed in particular years ranged from 5 to 15, and achieved the greatest value in the year 2019, while in the subsequent years, it decreased (Figure 2).Altogether, the authors were affiliated with 28 countries.The greatest number of inventions was developed by researchers from China, the United States of America and Japan; a lower number of inventions was obtained by scientists represented from other countries such as The Netherlands, Australia and France; while the lowest number of inventions was presented by authors from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, The Russian Federation, Colombia, Egypt, Spain, Finland, Israel, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia and Taiwan (Figure 3).Altogether, 18 inventions were developed by one author, while 93 invention investigations were developed in research teams numbering from two to ten scientists.The value of the Kruskal-Wallis H test evidenced that the number of inventions created by research teams consisting of more than six authors was remarkably lower than those created by one author or developed in teams numbering from two to five scientists (Table 2).
The value of the H Kruskal-Wallis test showed that plant-based amino acids and peptides were applied in a lower number of inventions as compared to proteins.At the same time, it should be mentioned, that the application of plant-based protein isolate was declared in 36 inventions, the use of protein concentrate was found in 10 inventions, whereas the application of protein hydrolysate was only noted in 3 inventions (see Tables A1-A5).Regarding the activity of inventions, the value of the Kruskal-WallisHtest indicated that the majority of them was devoted to nutrition, an appreciable number of them were aimed at the increase in muscle mass and strength, while a significantly lower number of products provided: (i) the improvement mental and physical health, (ii) the relieving of fatigue and muscle recovery, (iii) the increase in performance and/or endurance, and (iv) the control of body weight.The value of the Kruskal-Wallis H test confirmed that the majority of inventions were prepared in liquid consistencies(e.g., beverages, drinks, emulsions) or solid consistencies (e.g., bars, snacks, cakes).The lower number of inventions were prepared in bulk solid consistency (e.g., powders, granules), whilst the lowest number of the inventions were prepared in semi-liquid-consistency (e.g., porridge, slurry, pulp) or semi-solid-consistency (e.g., cream, gel, jam, yoghurt).
(Figure 2).Altogether, the authors were affiliated with 28 countries.The greatest number of inventions was developed by researchers from China, the United States of America and Japan; a lower number of inventions was obtained by scientists represented from other countries such as The Netherlands, Australia and France; while the lowest number of inventions was presented by authors from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, The Russian Federation, Colombia, Egypt, Spain, Finland, Israel, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia and Taiwan (Figure 3).Altogether, 18 inventions were developed by one author, while 93 invention investigations were developed in research teams numbering from two to ten scientists.The value of the Kruskal-Wallis H test evidenced that the number of inventions created by research teams consisting of more than six authors was remarkably lower than those created by one author or developed in teams numbering from two to five scientists (Table 2).achieved the greatest value in the year 2019, while in the subsequent years, it decreased (Figure 2).Altogether, the authors were affiliated with 28 countries.The greatest number of inventions was developed by researchers from China, the United States of America and Japan; a lower number of inventions was obtained by scientists represented from other countries such as The Netherlands, Australia and France; while the lowest number of inventions was presented by authors from Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, The Russian Federation, Colombia, Egypt, Spain, Finland, Israel, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Slovenia and Taiwan (Figure 3).Altogether, 18 inventions were developed by one author, while 93 invention investigations were developed in research teams numbering from two to ten scientists.The value of the Kruskal-Wallis H test evidenced that the number of inventions created by research teams consisting of more than six authors was remarkably lower than those created by one author or developed in teams numbering from two to five scientists (Table 2).

An Overview of Original Scientific Articles
In total, 18 publications were devoted to investigations of the effects of plant-based peptide and protein supplementation on sportspeople's health, performance and body composition (Table 3).The majority of authors investigated the effects of peptides and proteins derived from soybean, whereas the number of investigations focused on the effects of pea, rice, maize, amaranth, potato and wheat was lower.Several studies indicate that soy protein boosts muscle mass, strength and recovery.For instance, Jiang [158], Shenoy et al. [159], Amare and Chekol [160], Lynch et al. [161], Kritikos et al. [162] and Jin et al. [163] observed improvements in muscle recovery and strength, while Röhling et al. [164] noticed an increase in lean mass weight, suggesting a beneficial role for soy peptides in sports nutrition.On the other hand, Reidy et al. [165] and Hevia-Larraín et al. [166] noted minimal effects on muscle adaptations especially to resistance training, which highlights the variability in the responses.
Other researchers [167][168][169][170] demonstrated that ingestion of whey and pea protein produces similar outcomes in measurements of body composition, muscle thickness, force production and strength.Moon et al. [171] stated that intake of rice or whey protein in combination with an eight-week resistance training programme led to similar changes in body composition and performance outcomes.Saracino et al. [172] observed that presleep ingestion of rice and pea proteins as well as whey isolate, or hydrolysate did not aid in muscle recovery when damaging eccentric exercise was performed in the morning.However, it is worth mentioning that Pinckaers et al. [173] documented that the ingestion of potato protein concentrates in comparison to the intake of milk protein increases muscle protein synthesis rates, both at rest and during recovery from exercise.
The other authors compared commercially available drinks with maize juice [174] and amaranth-based beverages [175] and stated that plant drinks are very effective in supporting optimal performance and hydration.
In total, 12 articles referred to the popularity of products containing plant-based proteins in sportspeople (Table 4).The high acceptability and substantial consumption of plant-based protein products by athletes was noticed by Shaw et al. [176], Śli ż et al. [177], as well as Jakše and Jakše [178].In turn, investigations concentrated solely on female athletes showed a positive relation between considerable consumption of plant-based proteins and lack of PMS-related athletic impairment [179], as well as among substantial dietary intake of vegetable protein and menstrual dysfunction [180].Other investigations showed low interest of sportspeople in the consumption of plant-based proteins.Gillen et al. [181] stated that the plant-based protein sources represented by bread, cereals and grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as cakes and biscuits are consumed less frequently than animal-based protein.McDaid et al. [182] documented the intake of plant proteins solely by amateur athletes.Franca et al. [183] noted that adolescent athletes ingest mainly animal-derived protein, particularly meat and eggs, while plant-based protein is rather rarely eaten.In addition, four publications referred to testing and evaluation of the activity of particular products dedicated to sportspeople (Table 5).The high rating received for Soy Protein Isolate Enriched Pregame Chocolate Bar [184], millet bar [185], maize recovery beverage [186] and high protein pretzels containing soy and wheat ingredients [187].The nutrient content and quality of all the presented products were appreciated by consumers.Moreover, in the case of selected products, other benefits such as the possibility of consumption by lactose intolerant active people or low cost of preparation were pointed out.According to the conventional point of view, animals compared with plant-food proteins are considered the crucial source of a variety of bioactive peptides influencing many physiological responses and the maintenance of human good health conditions [188].Nevertheless, the performed investigations presenting the use of 52 plant taxa in alimentary products dedicated to sportspeople seem to not support these statements.The performed survey of inventions dedicated to sportspeople proved that the majority of species mentioned in the patent descriptions belong to annual herbaceous plants representing the families Fabaceae and Poaceae creating edible seeds showing substantial nutritional value and playing a considerable role in global food security [189][190][191][192][193]. At the same time, it is worth mentioning that this finding partly supports the study of Murowaniecki Otero [29], who pointed out that the main alternative protein sources among plants are represented by species from the Fabaceae and Asteraceae families.Moreover, it should be mentioned that due to the significant content of bioactive peptides and proteins seeds of chia [194], flax [194], pumpkin [194,195], watermelon [194,196] and amaranth [194], are also frequently used in food production, especially for sportspeople.At the same time, the reviews of the literature conducted by Arbach et al. [197] and Qamar et al. [198] evidenced the extensive application of seeds of numerous species as a source of proteins in plant-based beverages.The performed investigations showing that numerous plant species used in surveyed patents create edible fruits correspond with the findings proving that the seed pods of peas and beans [199], the berries of goji [200], as well as the drupes of date [201] are rich sources of protein using frequently as food ingredients.Moreover, the conducted investigations demonstrating that many species create edible leaves are consistent with the findings of Hadidi et al. [202], who reviewed the nutritional value of green leaf proteins, among others, in alfalfa, amaranth, moringa and spinach.Others worth mentioning as protein sources observed in the patent descriptions are underground organs, such as the tuberous roots of the sweet potato and the tubers of the Chinese yam and potato.Chandrasekara and Kumar [203] highlighted the immense potential of the aforementioned organs as functional foods and nutraceutical ingredients in disease risk reduction and wellness.

An Overview of the Inventions
The greatest number of inventions published in the year 2019 and their decrease in the subsequent years corresponds with the tendency presented by Arbach et al. [197], who investigated the number of patents referring to plant-based beverages developed in the years 2015-2020.The aforementioned authors documented a similar number of patents developed in the years 2015-2018, then a substantial increase in the year 2019, and a considerable decrease in the year 2020.A similar tendency was found by Murowaniecki Otero et al. [29], who explored the annual evolution of scientific articles and patents developed in the years 1998-2021 and referred to alternative protein sources.Moreover, the low number of inventions observed in the presented investigations during the year 2023 compared to the previous years may be due to the fact of waiting for indexation in the databases.It is worth mentioning that in the database Espacenet, the publication of an invention appears18 months after the filing date [204].A similar trend of the decline in the number of patents in the last years of the review period was already noticed in the case of the review of nutritional products for sportspeople based on the kidney bean [41] and sweet potato [40].On the other hand, the survey of the use of maize [42] and soybean [37] showed a gradual increase in the number of inventions in the consecutive study periods.
The performed observations, showing that the majority of inventions containing plant proteins were developed by researchers affiliated in China, The United States of America and Japan, correspond with other findings referring to the application of plant sources in food products dedicated to sportspeople.The greatest number of authors who developed inventions based on constituents deriving from soybeans were affiliated with The United States of America, China and Japan [37].Moreover, researchers affiliated with The United States of America and China published the greatest number of patents containing constituents derived from kidney beans [42].The substantial interest in the development of inventions containing plant proteins by scientists affiliated with China and The United States of America is not surprising considering that the aforementioned countries have for many years belonged to the world's leading crop producers [205].
The performed investigations showing that the majority of inventions were developed by researcher teams numbering from 2 to 10 authors confirm the global trend of the transformation of scientific research in numerous disciplines of natural and social sciences from individual research to teamwork [206].At the same time, the obtained results evidenced that the number of inventions created by research teams consisting of more than six cooperating authors was remarkably lower than those created by a minor number of scientists.
The performed investigations showed that plant-based amino acids and peptides were applied in a lower number of inventions as compared to proteins.At the same time, it should be mentioned that the application of plant-based protein isolate was declared in a majority of inventions.Such findings correspond with the studies of Sharif et al. [207], who pointed out that legumes, cereals and oilseeds are ideal sources of protein for extraction concentrates and isolates, showing different functional attributes depending on the raw materials and extraction techniques.They added that the most widely used species include, among others, soybean, pea, lupin, chickpea, wheat, rice, maize, barley, sorghum, canola and sunflower.In addition, the performed study shows that the majority of inventions present nutritional activity corresponding with surveys of food products dedicated to sportspeople and based on constituents derived from kidney beans [41] and maize [42].Simultaneously, the aforementioned findings appear to be concordant with the survey of the literature conducted by Munialo [208], evidencing the considerable nutritional value of plant proteins used in the food industry.The appreciable number of patents aiming to increase muscle mass and strength, as noted in the presented studies, might be linked with the augmenting demand for such products by amateur and professional athletes.The close relationship between muscle mass and strength and overall athlete performance was evidenced, among others, by Suchomel et al. [209].The lower number of inventions devoted to the improvement of mental and physical health, the relieving of fatigue and muscle recovery, the increase in performance and/or endurance, and the control of body weight corresponds with other studies [37,[40][41][42].
Considering the consistency of the inventions, the obtained results show that their number decreases significantly from liquid or solid consistency via bulk solid, to semi-liquid or semi-solid.These findings partly support the research of Cui et al. [210], who argued that the sports food market contains sports drinks and solid and semi-solid sports food.The significant number of products with a solid consistency might be linked to advantages such as quick satisfaction of appetite after intake and perception of satiety.It is worth mentioning, that the wide application of plant-derived protein in many products presenting solid consistency, such as cakes, cookies, muffins, bread, pasta, snacks, bars and noodles, was documented regarding pulses [34,211,212], cereals [213] and pseudocereals [212,213].The substantial number of inventions in liquid consistency might be connected with the fact that this is the most attractive and desirable due to their convenience, and the possibility to meet consumer demands for, among others, contents and size, as well as for easy distribution and storage [214].Moreover, the considerable popularity of liquid consistency might be linked to the substantial number of patents with bulk solid consistency, given that numerous beverages are made in the form of a powder, as stated by Arbach et al. [197].

An Overview of the Original Scientific Articles
According to many authors, e.g., [215][216][217] most plant-based proteins present lower anabolic properties than animal-based proteins.This phenomenon is connected with excess content of essential amino acids and often deficiency in one or more specific amino acids (such as lysine, methionine and tryptophan), as well as lower digestibility, compared to animal-based sources.Therefore, the aforementioned authors stated that the ingestion of plant-derived proteins results in a lower muscle protein synthesis in comparison to the ingestion of an equivalent amount of animal-derived protein.Nevertheless, the reviewed clinical trials evidenced the favourable effects of potato and soybean proteins and peptides compared to whey and milk proteins on the increase in strength of muscles, delay of onset of muscle soreness, mitigation of exercise-induced muscle stress reactions, as well as muscle recovery.At the same time, the performed investigations support the findings of Messina et al. [218], who evidenced the lack of difference between the effects of soy protein versus animal protein on gains in muscle mass and strength in response to resistance exercise.Moreover, the presented review of the literature sources proved that the consumption of pea and rice protein does not possess any unique anabolic properties over whey protein.
The varied acceptability and intake of food products containing plant proteins by sportspeople might be connected with food habits, as well as traditions in national cuisines.The low intake of plant proteins by sportspeople from Ireland and The Netherlands does not surprise and reflects Western dietary habits, including the high intake of animal-based proteins such as red meat Hone et al. [219] documented that meat and dairy had the largest percentage contribution to total protein intake across both sexes and all age groups of Irish adults.Similarly, the low consumption of plant-based protein by Brazilian sportspeople corresponds with the significant tendency to a gradual increase in animal protein consumption in the period 1961-2011 [220], as well as the strong progressive reduction of bean consumption in Brazil documented by Granado et al. [221].The aforementioned authors projected that by 2025 regular consumption of beans will stop being the predominant habit in the country.On the other hand, the substantial acceptance of plant-based protein sources by Polish athletes is not consistent with a general preference for meat products presented in the survey conducted in households [222].The substantial consumption of plant-based proteins declared by sportspeople from Canada and The United States of America does not support the findings of Auclair and Burgos [223], as well as Hoy et al. [224], who documented the low consumption of plant protein in adult populations.At the same time, the increasing intake of plant protein, especially cereals by Canadians as recorded by Marinangeli et al. [225] should be mentioned.
The performed survey of the literature evidenced the high rating of tested food products by sportspeople.The high rating of maize beverage noted in the performed investigations is consistent with the observations of Ortiz-Solà et al. [226], who evidenced the acceptability of drinks containing hazelnuts, coconut, grains and legumes and their use as a replacement for animal-based beverages and covering nutritional demand.The high rating of food products containing soy proteins, such as pretzels and bars, observed in the performed literature review might suggest that the volatile and non-volatile bean off-flavours [227] were mitigated or removed during the processing process.According to Saint-Eve et al. [228] the unpleasant flavour and displeasing mouthfeel perception of flour from legumes in food products may be a substantial barrier to their acceptance.The high rating of bars containing millet flour seems to correspond with the findings of other authors evidencing the high popularity of cereal bars containing millet flour among consumers, e.g., [229,230].As the performed survey shows, apart from the high sensory value of the tested products, the other properties such as preparation method, effects and cost-effectiveness were appreciated by athletes.Such findings seem to correspond with the investigations of Jeong and Lee [231], showing that the acceptability of foods and drinks is affected by numerous elements such as information on the health benefits of the product or ingredients and the content of food labels.
According to Gregory et al. [232], due to its non-systematic nature, there are no formally established guidelines for conducting narrative reviews, which might result in potential biases in selection and often in qualitative syntheses of results.Considering this, it should be stated that although the review emphasises promising aspects of plant proteins, it is crucial to also consider the limitations observed in the studies, which include small sample sizes, short durations of dietary interventions, and limited diversity in study populations.Addressing these issues in future research will be vital to corroborate findings and generalise them to broader populations.

Conclusions
The performed investigations evidenced the use of 52 taxa representing mainly annual herbaceous plants creating edible seeds, especially from the families Fabaceae and Poaceae.The greatest number of inventions published in 2019 and its decrease in the subsequent years (especially in the last year of the study period), might be a consequence of the long time period needed for indexation in the databases.The substantial interest in the development of inventions by scientists affiliated with China and The United States of America might be connected to the fact that the aforementioned countries belong to the leading crop producers.The majority of investigations undertaken by the research teams confirm the global trend of the transformation of scientific research in numerous disciplines of sciences, from individual research to teamwork.The substantial number of inventions using plant proteins (compared to peptides and amino acids) correspond with the worldwide tendency of the numerous crops used in the production of protein ingredients in the form of defatted flour, concentrates and isolates.
The nutritional activity presented by almost all the inventions is consistent with the considerable health value of plant proteins used in the food industry, as evidenced in the literature.In turn, the appreciable number of patents aiming to increase muscle mass and strength might be linked with the augmenting demand for such products by amateur and professional athletes due to the evidenced close relationship between muscle mass and strength and overall athlete performance.The significant number of products with solid consistency might be linked with the quick satisfaction of appetite after intake, whereas the considerable number of inventions with liquid consistency might be connected with meeting consumer demands for contents, size, and the possibility of easy distribution and storage.The appreciable number of patents with bulk solid consistency might be linked to the popularity of liquid consistency and the preparation of beverages in the form of soluble powders.According to the reviewed investigations, the intake of soybean and potato proteins might provide better results than animal-based protein (excluding resistance training), whereas the consumption of pea and rice protein does not possess any unique anabolic properties over whey protein.The varied acceptability and consumption of food products containing plant proteins by sportspeople might be connected with national food habits or remain in opposition to traditional national cuisine.The high rating of tested food products by sportspeople is based on sensual values, as well as other elements such as production method, health benefits and cost-effectiveness.
Considering the great potential of useful plant species shown in the presented review, it might be stated that further investigations seem to be strongly desirable.Their main direction should be focused on searching for novel, promising plant protein sources suitable for the preparation of food products dedicated to amateur and professional sportspeople.

Conflicts of Interest:
The author declares no conflict of interest.A1.A review of patents and inventions of food products suitable for sportspeople containing amino acids, peptides and proteins derived from species representing the family Amaranthaceae.The invention described in the article is bolded.Country: China (CN), Colombia (CO), and Spain (ES).

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.The procedure for the literature search.

Figure 1 .
Figure 1.The procedure for the literature search.

Figure 2 .Figure 2 .
Figure 2. The number of inventions referring to products suitable for sports nutrition containing plant-based amino acids, peptides and/or proteins developed in the period 2014-2023.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. The number of inventions referring to products suitable for sports nutrition containing plant-based amino acids, peptides and/or proteins developed in the period 2014-2023.

Funding:
This research received no external funding.Data Availability Statement: Data are contained within the article.

Table 1 .
The survey of taxa containing amino acids, peptides and/or proteins applied in inventions suitable to sports nutrition developed in the years 2014-2023.Abbreviations: Lifespan: A-annual, P-perennial, Life form: H-Herbaceous plant, S-shrub, T-tree.The dots mean lack of data.

Table 2 .
The total number of inventions referring to products suitable to sports nutrition developed in the period 2014-2023 by a varied number of authors, applying different constituents, showing diverse activity and presenting different consistency.The different letters in superscript mean statistically significant differences.Asterisks mean the statistical significance level *** p < 0.001.

Table 3 .
A review of original articles devoted to the effect of plant-based amino acids and proteins on sportspeople's health, in chronological order.Abbreviations of country names: BR-Brazil, CN-China, DE-Germany, ET-Ethiopia, GR-Greece, IN-India, NL-The Netherlands, MX-Mexico, MY-Malaysia, PT-Portugal, US-the United States.The dot means lack of data.

Table 4 .
A review of original articles devoted to the share of athletes eating products containing plantbased protein.Abbreviations: Gender: F-female, M-male, Country: BR-Brazil, CA-Canada, IE-Ireland, JP-Japan, NL-The Netherlands, PL-Poland, SI-Slovenia, US-the United States.The dot means lack of data.

Table 5 .
A review of original articles devoted to the acceptance of particular products dedicated to athletes and containing plant-based protein.Abbreviations: Gender: F-female, M-male, Country: IN-India, MY-Malaysia, US-United States.The dots mean lack of data.

Table A2 .
A review of patents and inventions of food products suitable for sportspeople containing amino acids, peptides and proteins derived from species representing the family Fabaceae.The inventions described in the articles are bolded.

Table A3 .
A review of patents and inventions of food products suitable for sportspeople containing amino acids, peptides and proteins derived from species representing the family Poaceae.Country: Belgium (BE), China (CN), Finland (FI), The Russian Federation (RU), and The United States (US).

Table A4 .
A review of patents and inventions of food products suitable for sportspeople containing amino acids, peptides and proteins derived from species representing the families Cannabaceae, Polygonaceae and Solanaceae.Country: China (CN), and The United States (US).

Table A5 .
A review of patents and inventions of food products suitable for sportspeople containing amino acids, peptides and proteins derived from species representing different botanical families.