Oral Delivery of Food-derived Bioactive Peptides: Challenges and Strategies

Food-derived bioactive peptides (FBPs) have received widespread attention due to their various physiological functions. However, the realization of the potential biological effects of FBPs depends heavily on their ability to remain intact until reaching the target cells. The physicochemical nature of FBPs and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) barrier can pose challenges in their delivery after oral administration. Over the past decade, many attempts, such as enzyme inhibitors, permeation enhancers, mucoadhesive polymers, and nanocarriers, have been made to improve the oral bioavailability of FBPs. Despite numerous efforts in FBPs delivery, the development of techniques for efficient delivery of FBPs remains an issue in food field. In this review, we summarize and discuss the challenges for oral delivery of FBPs, the most recent and promising techniques involved in the improvement of FBPs bioavailability, and future directions in the field of FBPs delivery.