Bioactive peptides derived from marine sources: biological and functional properties

Background: Bioactive peptides have been studied in several sources due to their valuable potential in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. Algae, mussels and fish are examples of marine sources of bioactive peptides. Several biological properties have been identified in these peptides, such as antioxidant, antiatherosclerosis, anticancer, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive and antimicrobial activities. Furthermore, peptides derived from marine sources may also be of great interest due to their functional properties, such as solubility, emulsifying and foaming properties, which could be beneficial for industrial application. Scope and approach: This paper aims to review information about bioactive peptides isolated from different marine sources, focusing on the different biological activities and functional properties already described, and the different industrial applications exploited. Key findings and conclusions: Enzymatic hydrolysis appears as the most used method for peptide production. Bioactive peptides have not been widely used individually, although marine protein hydrolysates are already used with different industrial purposes. However, due to all the bioactivities showed, marine peptides may be of great interest to industrial applications, such as active ingredients for food or cosmetic products; preservatives for food or cosmetics; anti-inflammatory cosmeceuticals; pharmaceutical or nutraceutical products to treat or prevent diseases, with potentially fewer side effects when compared with synthetic drugs. To incorporate peptides in industrial matrices it is essential to guarantee that they will not suffer modifications or lose bioactivity inside new matrices. To empower peptides action in pharmaceuticals, food or cosmetics, they must be able to resist to adverse external factors. Encapsulation may be of one of the most interesting approaches to increase peptides protection.