Novel technologies for the production of bioactive peptides

Bioactive peptides derived from food proteins have great potential for uses as functional food ingredients or nutraceuticals. Bioactive peptides are prepared mainly by enzymatic hydrolysis. High specificity, mild conditions, a lack of residual organic solvents and toxic chemicals in the final peptide preparations have positioned enzymatic hydrolysis the most preferred method for the production of bioactive peptides; however, the high cost of enzymes, a low yield, and limited choice of food-grade enzymes pose the industry seek for alternatives. This review mainly focuses on the potential use of novel technologies for the production of bioactive peptides, given the context of the conventional methods. The mechanisms of these novel technologies are presented, along with their respective examples of use. The advantages and challenges of each technology employed for the production of bioactive peptides are discussed. Key findings and conclusions: There is an increasing interest in preparing bioactive peptides using novel technologies such as high hydrostatic pressure, ultrasounds, ohmic heating, pulsed electric fields, microwave-assisted extractions, and subcritical water hydrolysis. These technologies are in general less effective than the conventional methods, and thus often applied in combination with the enzymatic method. Subcritical water hydrolysis is capable of cleaving peptide bonds but suffers from a lack of specificity in cleaving peptide bonds and peptide modifications. The new trend towards the use of novel technologies in producing bioactive peptides continues to gain momentum because they are environmentally friendly, innovative, and sustainable.