Bioactive Peptides: A Promising Alternative to Chemical Preservatives for Food Preservation.

Shuhui Zhang, Lu Luo, Xueyan Sun, Aimin Ma

Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2021 Oct 27

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Bioactive peptides used for food preservation can prolong the shelf life through bacteriostasis and antioxidation. On the one hand, bioactive peptides can inhibit lipid oxidation by scavenging free radicals, interacting with metal ions, and inhibiting lipid peroxidation. On the other hand, bioactive peptides can fundamentally inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms by destroying their cell membranes or targeting intracellular components. Besides, bioactive peptides are biocompatible and biodegradable in vivo. Therefore, they are regarded as a promising alternative to chemical preservatives. However, bioactive peptides are easily affected by the external environment in practical application, which hinders their commercialization. Currently, the studies to overcome the weakness focus on encapsulation and chemical synthesis. Bioactive peptides have been applied to the preservation of various foods in experimental research, with good results. In the future, with the deepening understanding of their safety and structure-activity relationship, there may be more bioactive peptides as food preservatives.

Citation

Shuhui Zhang, Lu Luo, Xueyan Sun, Aimin Ma. Bioactive Peptides: A Promising Alternative to Chemical Preservatives for Food Preservation. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry. 2021 Oct 27;69(42):12369-12384