Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.7
5.1
Journals
Foods
Special Issues
Food Proteins and Peptides: Bioactivity, Applications and Health Benefits
share announcement

Food Proteins and Peptides: Bioactivity, Applications and Health Benefits

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 November 2025 | Viewed by 1439

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Ivan Cruz-Chamorro

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Facultad de Enfermería, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Interests: functional foods; protein hydrolysate; antioxidant; immunomodulation; natural extracts; biopeptides; lupine; hemp
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Guillermo Santos-Sánchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias de la Alimentación, CIAL (CSIC-UAM), 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: hydrolysates; peptides; lupine; oxidant stress; functional foods; nutraceuticals; atherosclerosis; MAFLD
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue in Foods focused on “Food Proteins and Peptides: Bioactivity, Applications and Health Benefits”. This issue explores the recent advancements in food proteins and bioactive peptides, aiming to uncover their diverse functional and health-promoting properties, and offers insights into their applications across food science, nutrition, and health sectors. With an ever-growing global demand for sustainable and nutrient-rich food sources, proteins and bioactive peptides derived from both animal and plant origins present significant promise in supporting human health and addressing environmental needs.

Additionally, the environmental sustainability of food proteins is a key focus, as the global food industry seeks to transition to more sustainable and less resource-intensive sources. Research on plant proteins and alternative sources explores their potential to meet protein requirements while reducing environmental impact.

This Special Issue welcomes a range of submissions, including original research articles, reviews, and short communications that delve into the bioactivity, structure-function relationships, and potential uses of food-derived proteins and peptides. By promoting cutting-edge research in this area, we aim to contribute to the body of knowledge supporting the development of healthier, more sustainable, and functional food products for global consumers.

We look forward to your contributions and to advancing the field of food proteins and peptides together.

Dr. Ivan Cruz-Chamorro
Dr. Guillermo Santos-Sánchez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food-derived proteins
  • bioactive peptides
  • hydrolysates
  • functional foods
  • nutraceuticals
  • nutrition

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

18 pages, 1321 KiB  
Article
In Silico Proteomic Profiling and Bioactive Peptide Potential of Rapeseed Meal
by Katarzyna Garbacz, Jacek Wawrzykowski, Michał Czelej and Adam Waśko
Foods 2025, 14(14), 2451; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14142451 (registering DOI) - 12 Jul 2025
Abstract
Rapeseed meal, a byproduct of oil extraction, is increasingly recognised as a valuable source of plant protein and health-promoting peptides. This study aimed to identify key proteins in cold-pressed rapeseed meal and assess their potential to release bioactive peptides through in silico hydrolysis [...] Read more.
Rapeseed meal, a byproduct of oil extraction, is increasingly recognised as a valuable source of plant protein and health-promoting peptides. This study aimed to identify key proteins in cold-pressed rapeseed meal and assess their potential to release bioactive peptides through in silico hydrolysis using plant-derived proteases, namely papain, bromelain, and ficin. Proteomic profiling via two-dimensional electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry revealed cruciferin as the dominant protein, along with other metabolic and defence-related proteins. In silico digestion of these sequences using the BIOPEP database generated thousands of peptide fragments, of which over 50% were predicted to exhibit bioactivities, including ACE and DPP-IV inhibition, as well as antioxidant, neuroprotective, and anticancer effects. Among the evaluated enzymes, bromelain exhibited the highest efficacy, yielding the greatest quantity and diversity of bioactive peptides. Notably, peptides with antihypertensive and antidiabetic properties were consistently identified across all of the protein and enzyme variants. Although certain rare functions, such as anticancer and antibacterial activities, were observed only in specific hydrolysates, their presence underscores the broader functional potential of peptides derived from rapeseed. These findings highlight the potential of rapeseed meal as a sustainable source of functional ingredients while emphasising the necessity for experimental validation to confirm the predicted bioactivities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Proteins and Peptides: Bioactivity, Applications and Health Benefits)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 869 KiB  
Article
Hempseed Hydrolysates Exhibit Antioxidant Activity in Meat Systems
by Brynn Angeletti, Duy Thinh Trinh, Vermont Dia, Sara Burns, Mary Anna Chester, Rebecca E. Bergee and Tong Wang
Foods 2025, 14(10), 1728; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101728 - 13 May 2025
Viewed by 367
Abstract
Hempseed hydrolysates prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis have been previously shown to have potent antioxidant activity. The objective of this study is to examine lipid oxidation in beef and turkey meatballs in the presence of selected hempseed hydrolysate products. Alcalase hydrolyzed hempseed meal (AHM10) [...] Read more.
Hempseed hydrolysates prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis have been previously shown to have potent antioxidant activity. The objective of this study is to examine lipid oxidation in beef and turkey meatballs in the presence of selected hempseed hydrolysate products. Alcalase hydrolyzed hempseed meal (AHM10) and hempseed protein isolate (AHPI10) were incorporated into meat products to determine their effects on oxidation over time. Changes in lipid oxidation levels over a 14-day period at 4 °C were determined using peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) methods. Additionally, sensory analyses of the cooked beef and turkey meatballs were performed on day 1 and day 14 of storage to determine the effect of hempseed hydrolysates on the sensory attributes of both meat systems. Overall, AHM10 at 0.4% acted most effectively in beef meatballs and showed enhanced antioxidant activity when compared to EDTA at 100 ppm. Specifically, its use maintained PV below 5.0 meq hydroperoxides/kg oil and TBARS below 1.8 mg MDA/kg oil across the 14-day period. In sensory analysis, no significant differences were found amongst the treatments for various attributes and panelists did not detect bitterness or off flavors. Thus, AHM10 is applicable in food systems as an alternative antioxidant to replace synthetic ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Proteins and Peptides: Bioactivity, Applications and Health Benefits)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop