Chronic diseases, including metabolic diseases, have become a worldwide public health issue. Research regarding the use of bioactive peptides or protein hydrolysates derived from food, as the diet-based strategies for the prevention and mitigation of chronic diseases, has increased exponentially in the past decades. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies report the efficacy and safety of food-derived bioactive peptides and protein hydrolysates as antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antioxidant agents. However, despite promising preclinical results, an inadequate understanding of their mechanisms of action and pharmacokinetics restrict their clinical translation. Commercialization of bioactive peptides can be further hindered due to scarce information regarding their efficacy, safety, bitter taste, as well as the lack of a cost-effective method of production. This review provides an overview of the current clinical evidence and challenges to commercial applications of food-derived bioactive peptides and protein hydrolysates for the prevention and alleviation of chronic diseases.

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Egg yolk granule phosvitin (45 kDa) is a phosphoprotein known for its emulsifying properties. Recently, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) treatment of granule induced the transfer of phosvitin to the soluble plasma fraction. This project evaluated the performance of the ultrafiltration (UF) used to concentrate phosvitin from the plasma fraction to produce a natural emulsifier. Phosvitin was characterized in plasma from a pressure-treated granule (1.73 ± 0.07% w/w) and in its UF retentate (26.00 ± 4.12% w/w). The emulsifying properties of both retentates were evaluated. The emulsion prepared with phosvitin-enriched retentate was more resistant to flocculation and creaming. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed a network of aggregated protein similar to a gel, which encapsulated oil droplets in emulsions made with UF-retentate of plasma from pressure-treated granule. However, although sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) showed that β-phosvitin is recovered in the cream, it is difficult to attribute the improved emulsifying properties of the UF-retentate of plasma from pressure-treated granules only to phosvitin.

Osteoporosis is the most common bone disorder, characterized by low bone mineral density and microarchitectural deterioration of the bone tissue, which increases the susceptibility to fracture. In the past decade, emerging research findings reported the implication of gut microbiota on bone health and osteoporosis pathology. Osteoporotic patients or individuals with a lower bone mineral density exhibit an alteration of the gut microbiota at several taxonomic levels. Additional reports demonstrate that gut microbiota regulates bone metabolism through the modulation of the gut function (mineral availability and absorption, gut integrity), the immune system, and the endocrine system. Thus, based on the vital role of gut microbiota on bone health, it has emerged as a novel therapeutic target for the prevention of bone loss and the treatment of osteoporosis. Microbial-based functional food ingredients, such as probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fermented foods, have been developed to alter the gut microbiota composition and function and thus, to provide benefits to the host bone health. Despite promising initial results, microbial-based therapies are still under investigation. Moreover, additional animal studies and clinical trials are needed to understand the interactions between gut microbiota and bone metabolism before further applications.