Production, Purification, and Potential Health Applications of Edible Seeds’ Bioactive Peptides: A Concise Review

Abstract

Edible seeds play a significant role in contributing essential nutritional needs and impart several health benefits to improve the quality of human life. Previous literature evidence has confirmed that edible seed proteins, their enzymatic hydrolysates, and bioactive peptides (BAPs) have proven and potential attributes to ameliorate numerous chronic disorders through the modulation of activities of several molecular markers. Edible seed-derived proteins and peptides have gained much interest from researchers worldwide as ingredients to formulate therapeutic functional foods and nutraceuticals. In this review, four main methods are discussed (enzymatic hydrolysis, gastrointestinal digestion, fermentation, and genetic engineering) that are used for the production of BAPs, including their purification and characterization. This article’s main aim is to provide current knowledge regarding several health-promoting properties of edible seed BAPs in terms of antihypertensive, anti-cancer, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic activities.

Health-Promoting and Therapeutic Attributes of Milk-Derived Bioactive Peptides

“…Although, BAPs from different sources such as plants, meat, edible seeds, etc., show several promising attributes in relation to several disorders such as cancer, diabetes, brain health, hypertension, etc. [ 7 , 154 , 155 ]. Table 6 represents the commercial dairy products containing peptides that potentially reduce hypertension.…”

“…Studies suggest that BAPs consisting of 2–6 amino acids are readily assimilated compared to free amino acids and longer-chain proteins. Once absorbed, they facilitate biological activities in various tissues as they transit through the body [ 6 , 7 ]. BAPs that are encrypted in the primary sequences of proteins can be released by the actions of exogenous and endogenous proteolytic enzymes or microbial fermentation or during food processing.…”

Enzymatic Modification of Plant Proteins for Improved Functional and Bioactive Properties

“…Bioactive protein hydrolysates from different edible seeds have demonstrated antidiabetic effects with promising potential as an alternative therapy to synthetic drugs. Peptides can impart hypoglycemic effects via one or more pathways, including the inhibition of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV), leading to a lowered blood glucose level and a peak in the physiological insulin level (Samtiya et al, 2021). Aside from the inhibition of DPP-IV, the consumption of natural ingredients embedded with compounds that inhibit α-glucosidase and α-amylase is another important approach to controlling diabetes.…”

“…Some of the works carried out on the antioxidant properties of bioactive peptides are shown in Table3. The protein hydrolysate produced from defatted peanut kernel protein was demonstrated to exhibit antioxidant properties.The study found that the pea protein hydrolysate derived after treatment with Esperase showed the strongest antioxidant capacity regarding linolenic acid peroxidation when compared to other proteases, including protease A, protease N, pepsin, and Neutrase(Samtiya et al, 2021). Recent work byIdowu et al (2021) evaluated the sesame seed hydrolysate generated using pepsin and pancreatic enzymes for their antioxidant properties.…”

“…The suppression of ACE activity by drugs has proven to be an effective pharmacological strategy for decreasing blood pressure. Nonetheless, the side effects linked to the present-day antihypertensive ACE-inhibitory drugs could bring about compromised health conditions for the patient with signi cant negative effects on life expectancy or quality in addition to the associated high cost of healthcare(Samtiya et al, 2021). Therefore, there is a rising interest in applying natural ACE inhibitors such as plant-based protein derived bioactive peptides in replacing or complementing drugs as antihypertensive agents(Aluko, 2015) Ma et al (2019).…”