Functional Proteins and Peptides in Food Systems: Bioactivity Evaluation and Nutritional Mechanisms

Dear Colleagues,

Functional proteins and bioactive peptides are important food-derived components with broad potential to promote human health and support the development of functional foods. Their diverse biological activities, including antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, osteogenic, metabolic-regulatory, and gut-health-promoting effects, have attracted increasing attention in food science, nutrition, and health research. Systematic evaluation of these bioactivities is essential for understanding how functional proteins and peptides contribute to physiological regulation and disease prevention.

Recent advances in molecular biology, cell models, animal studies, multi-omics technologies, and gut microbiota research have provided new opportunities to elucidate the nutritional mechanisms of food-derived proteins and peptides. These molecules may exert their functions through multiple pathways, such as receptor-mediated signaling, modulation of inflammatory responses, regulation of protein homeostasis and energy metabolism, maintenance of intestinal barrier function, and interactions with the gut microbiome. Clarifying these mechanisms will provide a scientific basis for the rational development and application of protein- and peptide-based functional foods.

At the same time, the biological efficacy of proteins and peptides is closely related to their structural characteristics, processing stability, digestibility, bioavailability, and interactions within complex food matrices. Therefore, studies on food processing, gastrointestinal digestion, structural modification, and delivery-related strategies remain valuable for improving their functional performance in food systems. However, the central focus of this Special Issue is the bioactivity evaluation and nutritional mechanisms of functional proteins and peptides.

This Special Issue aims to collect high-quality original research articles and comprehensive reviews on functional proteins and bioactive peptides in food systems, with particular emphasis on their biological activities, nutritional functions, mechanism of action, and potential applications in functional foods and health promotion.

We welcome submissions addressing, but not limited to, the following topics:

• Identification, preparation, and characterization of food-derived functional proteins and bioactive peptides;
• In vitro and in vivo evaluation of the biological activities of functional proteins and peptides;
• Nutritional mechanisms and physiological functions of functional proteins and peptides in health promotion;
• Functional proteins and peptides derived from milk, dairy products, cereals, legumes, animal products, marine resources, and other food sources;
• Effects of food processing, structural modification, gastrointestinal digestion, and food matrix interactions on the bioactivity, digestibility, and bioavailability of proteins and peptides;
• Application of functional proteins and peptides in functional foods, nutritional interventions, and health-promoting food systems.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions to this Special Issue.

Dr. Yuan Wang
Dr. Yixuan Li
Dr. Yanan Sun
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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.

• functional proteins
• bioactive peptides
• bioactivity evaluation
• nutritional mechanisms
• functional foods
• digestibility and bioavailability