Food-Derived Bioactive Peptides: Correlation Between Structure and Functional Properties

Dear Colleagues,

Food is not only a source of nutrients, but also of bioactive compounds that have beneficial effects on human health. Among them, bioactive peptides are protein fragments typically between 2 and 20 amino acid residues in length with a molecular mass of 0.4–2 kDa. Depending on their molecular mass, number and type of amino acids present, net charge, bulkiness, and polarity, several bioactive properties can be attributed to them.

Small peptides can be derived from food processing, produced in the gastrointestinal tract during digestion, or isolated and used as dietary supplements. However, to exert their intended biological effects, they must reach their respective targets. This involves resisting the effects of intestinal brush border enzymes, reaching the bloodstream, and binding to the enzymes, whose activity is to be influenced. To date, peptides with diverse bioactivities have been identified, including antioxidant, antihypertensive, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic, antimicrobial, anti-SARS-CoV-2, antithrombotic, and immunomodulatory bioactivities. Such properties have been identified in a wide range of food sources by in silico, in vitro, and in vivo assays, though the latter are still lacking.

In the era of by-product valorisation of the food industry, the identification of new sources of bioactive peptides can add value to these products and reduce their environmental impact in line with sustainability.

This Special Issue intends to bring momentum to the most outstanding research currently being conducted in this field, thereby stimulating further investigation and dissemination of new findings.

Dr. Carla Sílvia Silva Teixeira
Dr. Isabel Mafra
Dr. Joana Costa
Dr. Caterina Villa
Guest Editors

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