Food Proteins and Bioactive Peptides, Functional Diets

Abstract

Throughout the second half of the last century and early this century the concept of the biological function of food proteins has changed significantly. While in the past the food proteins were regarded only as macronutrients capable of providing the amino acids to form the protein component of organs and tissues, also participating in the generation of metabolic energy for the normal functioning of living organisms, today it is known that certain proteins present in food, as well as fragments or peptides derived thereof, may participate in the general metabolism in a much more interactive manner, through bioactivities that go far beyond the nutritional functions that had been established by the end of the first half of the prior century.By making an analogy with the aeronautical activity we can say that in the past the food proteins functioned as black boxes holding numerous important pieces of information, which research and technology have only revealed, in part, in recent decades. In this period it Received: August 07, 2017; Accepted: September 12, 2017; Published: September 26, 2017 was found that certain proteins present in foods are naturally bioactive, and can be absorbed from the Gastrointestinal System (GIS) in their intact or slightly modified form and exercise specific bioactivities in the systemic metabolism [1], or, in addition, resist the action of digestive enzymes exercising different bioactivities in the gastrointestinal system [2]. Even more interesting were the findings that food proteins, of both plant and animal origin, contain, in their primary structures, specific amino acid sequences in their polypeptide chains, which when cleaved in the form of peptides by proteolytic enzymes or by specific chemical reagents may exercise diverse bioactivities that were latent in the original structure of the protein from which they originated.Bioactive peptides have been obtained from precursor proteins through the use of methodologies that have reached a high degree of sophistication and complexity, such as: (a) enzymatic hydrolysis by digestive enzymes; (b) proteolysis of the protein source by enzymes derived from microorganisms or plants; (c) fermentation process using culture with high proteolytic power and specificity. The bioactive potential of the peptides originating from the proteolysis of food proteins can be explored in the integral hydrolysates, produced in special conditions. However, in the current literature there are numerous research works and literature reviews emphasizing the importance of the isolation, purification, characterization, study of mechanisms and impact of these peptides on human health [3][4][5][6][7][8]. Production and Processing of Bioactive Peptides Derived from Food ProteinsA large number of plants and animals have been object of study as source of Bioactive Peptides (BAPs). Several studies were conducted, particularly with milk proteins [9,10], eggs [11,12], and muscle proteins from pigs [13], cattle [14], poultry [15], and fish [16]. BAPs have been obtained from...

TCR Affinity for In Vivo Peptide-Induced Thymic Positive Selection Fine-Tunes TCR Responsiveness of Peripheral CD8+ T Cells

“…The in vivo administration of peptides offers promise as therapy for various human diseases, including cancer and diabetes (18, 19). Peptides are also included in nutritional supplements and functional diets (20, 21). Our results indicate that peptide administration in vivo can affect thymocyte development, including the alteration of the T cell repertoire by the positive selection of T cells that interact with the peptide-MHC complex in the thymus at a low affinity.…”

Membrane Separation of Chicken Byproduct Hydrolysate for Up-Concentration of Bioactive Peptides

“…The several bioactivities typical for peptides isolated from food proteins include the following: antihypertensive; antimicrobial; antioxidant; antitumor; immunomodulatory activity; binders and mineral ion carriers; hypocholesterolemic; anti-inflammatory; multifunction activity. Among the main food sources of bioactive peptides that should be highlighted are the milk proteins (caseins and whey proteins), egg proteins, fish proteins, meat proteins (cattle, pigs, poultry), and some proteins of cereal grains and legumes [30]. In the past few decades, a wide range of food-derived bioactive peptide sequences have been identified, with multiple health-beneficial activities [29].…”

Anti‐inflammatory action of ark shell ( Scapharca subcrenata ) protein hydrolysate in LPS‐stimulated RAW264.7 murine macrophages

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