Research progress in the preparation and structure-activity relationship of bioactive peptides derived from aquatic foods

Aquatic foods, also known as blue foods, contain a wide range of unique bioactive substances. Among these substances, aquatic foods-derived bioactive peptides exhibit diverse structures and activities, including blood pressure reduction, antibacterial effects, uric acid level reduction, and antioxidant effects. As a result, these peptides show considerable potential for application in functional foods. Existing reviews on aquatic foods-derived bioactive peptides have focused primarily on their functional activities and preparation methods, while neglecting the latest trends in rapid discovery and large-scale production of peptides. Therefore, in addition to summarizing the most recent preparation methods of aquatic foods-derived bioactive peptides, this paper also examines the structure-activity relationships and strategies for large-scale production of active peptides. The use of bioinformatics techniques, such as docking and data mining, can significantly expedite the process of discovering and purifying of aquatic foods-derived bioactive peptides. Furthermore, the precise design and optimization of peptides based on their structure-activity relationships can effectively enhance their activity. Heterologous biosynthesis via the modification of host and target peptides holds promise for enabling large-scale production of these peptides. These methods represent the future direction of research on aquatic foods-derived bioactive peptides.