Generally, bioactive peptides are natural compounds of food or part of protein that are inactive in the precursor molecule. However, they may be active after hydrolysis and can be transported to the active site. Biologically active peptides can also be synthesized chemically and characterized. Peptides have many properties, including antihypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and chelating effects. They are also responsible for the taste of food or for the inhibition of enzymes involved in the development of diseases. The scientific literature has described many peptides with bioactive properties obtained from different sources. Information about the structure, origin, and properties of peptides can also be found in many databases. This review will describe peptides inhibiting the development of current diseases, peptides with antimicrobial properties, and new alternative sources of peptides based on the current knowledge and documentation of their bioactivity. All these issues are part of modern research on peptides and their use in current health or technological problems in food production.
In the last decade, increasing attention has been focused on entomophagy in Europe. However, Western societies rarely experience insects as a food source. Depending on the country, the approach to entomophagy is variables. This study was performed to assess the perception of entomophagy in the Polish population and comparison with other European societies. An online survey was conducted with a final sample of 419 participants. Several variables were established, and their influence on the acceptance of insect was analysed by applying the Chi-square test of independence. We found that the respondents had limited knowledge about entomophagy; hence, willingness to eat insects is limited by unawareness and neophobia. The attitude towards insects is a strong predictor of the readiness to eat insects and buy insect-based products. The results have shown that processed insect products can increase consumers’ willingness to buy insect-based products. It should be noted that almost 60% of the 15.51% of the respondents who had eaten insects previously rated the insect taste as good and very good. We conclude that higher awareness of entomophagy is required to accept insects as food besides the willingness to try. Moreover, the future of insect consumption depends on the sensory characteristics (appearance, smell, taste) of insect-based products; hence, food industry should focus on processed foods with insect based food ingredients to make them familiar to consumers.
Evaluation of the expansion of Mantis religiosa (L.) in Poland based on a questionnaire survey. Mantis religiosa (L.) is the only species of praying mantis in Poland. The main habitat where its occurrence is permanent and confirmed is the Sandomierska Basin (SE Poland). Numerous reports suggest a significant dispersion of these insects in Poland. Therefore, we decided to use and collect information to update the knowledge about the spread of the praying mantis in Poland. With the use of Google Maps, we created a map on which respondents were asked to select the location where they encountered a M. religiosa specimen in Poland in recent years (2013-2016). In total, we obtained 159 locations for the European mantis. These findings show the significant spread of this species in all directions from its main habitat in Sandomierska Basin. However, there is a need for more studies on this topic, especially to confirm the existence of reproductive populations in the provided locations and to confirm the existence of two different M. religiosa lineages in Poland.
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