Diabetes mellitus is a complex disorder characterised by insufficient insulin production or insulin resistance. Disease incidence is accumulating at a rapidly increasing rate, resulting in a considerable social, health and economic burden in the modern world. Bioactive peptides show significant potential for use in health management strategies, particularly as components of drugs and functional foods for diabetes treatment. Many antidiabetic bioactive peptides have been isolated and validated. The aim of this review was to update the state of knowledge of the origin, structural characteristics and action. Additionally, the potential mechanisms of bioactive peptides on key enzymes and proteins, such as α‐amylase, α‐glucosidase, glucagon‐like peptides and dipeptidyl peptidase‐IV, that participate in glycaemic level control from the intake of carbohydrates to blood glucose regulation were overviewed. This knowledge should facilitate research and industrial efforts to better understand and evaluate the potential of bioactive peptides with antidiabetic properties for blood glucose level management.

Increased focus has been directed toward the use of agricultural residues. Conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to nanocellulose, such as nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has prompted a revolution in biobased materials for diverse applications. Currently used chemical methods for the preparation of NFC are not environmentally friendly and even exhibit toxicity, limiting the application of NFC in food. The present study proposes an innovative NFC as dietary fiber, prepared using a green and scale production method. This technique provides an integrated approach that combines physicochemical pretreatment (high-density steam flash-explosion, HDSF at 2.0 MPa) and successively enzymatic catalysts (45 U/g xylanase for 3 h, 60 U/g laccase for 4 h, and 150 U/g cellulose for 12 h) for the conversion of rice straw into NFC which is characterized by long and distinct fibrillated cellulose with widths of 30–200 nm, exhibiting excellent water retention capacity (20 g water/g) and swelling capacity (105 mL/g). Based on the NFC, hydrophobic groups (octenyl succinic anhydride, OSA) were further grafted onto the surface of NFC to prepare an innovative OSA–NFC as dietary fiber with enhanced health benefits (such as bile acids, cholesterol, nitrite ion, and oil/fat adsorption), especially which could markedly increase the adsorption capacity for oil in vitro (17.8 g oil/g after digestion model) and in vivo (almost 500 mg fat/g feces of rats). OSA–NFC could be used as high-quality dietary fiber with a strong ability to absorb oil to help regulate body weight, representing an innovative way of transforming cheaper biomass into value-added products.

Glycyrrhetic acid 3-O-mono-β-d-glucuronide (GAMG) is an important derivative of glycyrrhizin (GL) and has attracted considerable attention, especially in the food and pharmaceutical industries, due to its natural high sweetness and strong biological activities. The biotransformation process is becoming an efficient route for GAMG production with the advantages of mild reaction conditions, environmentally friendly process, and high production efficiency. Recent studies showed that several β-glucuronidases (β-GUS) are key GAMG-producing enzymes, displaying a high potential to convert GL directly into the more valuable GAMG and providing new insights into the generation of high-value compounds. This review provides details of the structural properties, health benefits, and potential applications of GAMG. The progress in the development of the biotransformation processes and fermentation strategies to improve the yield of GAMG is also discussed. This work further summarizes recent advances in the enzymatic synthesis of GAMG using β-GUS with emphasis on the physicochemical and biological properties, molecular modifications, and enzymatic strategies to improve β-GUS biocatalytic efficiencies. This information contributes to a better framework to explore production and application of bioactive GAMG.