Alterations in the sequence and bioactivity of food-derived oligopeptides during simulated gastrointestinal digestion and absorption: a review

Abstract

Food-derived oligopeptides (FOPs) exhibit various bioactivities. However, little was known about their sequence changes in the gastrointestinal tract and the effect of changes on bioactivities. FOPs’ sequence features, changes and effects on bioactivities have been summarised. The sequence length of FOPs decreases with increased exposure of hydrophobic and basic amino acids at the terminal during simulated gastrointestinal digestion. A decrease in bioactivities after simulated intestinal absorption has correlated with a decrease of Leu, Ile, Arg, Tyr, Gln and Pro. The sequence of FOPs that pass readily through the intestinal epithelium corresponds to transport modes, and FOPs whose sequences remain unchanged after transport are the most bioactive. These include mainly dipeptides to tetrapeptides, consisting of numerous hydrophobic and basic amino acids, found mostly at the end of the peptide chain, especially at the C-terminal. This review aims to provide a foundation for applications of FOPs in nutritional supplements and functional foods.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Food-derived oligopeptides
• simulated gastrointestinal digestion
• simulated intestinal absorption
• sequence changes
• bioactivities

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2021YFD2100402) and the Fund of Cultivation Project of Double First-Class Disciplines of Food Science and Engineering, Beijing Technology & Business University (No. BTBUYXTD202203).

Conflicts of interest

The authors have declared no conflict of interest.

Authors’ contributions

Conceptualisation: Wanlu Liu and Shengjuan Yu; funding acquisition: He Li and Xinqi Liu; methodology: Zhen Wang and Wanlu Liu; writing—original draft: Wanlu Liu and Kexin Li; writing—review and editing: Wanlu Liu and He Li. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Data availability statement

Data are contained within the article or supplementary material. The corresponding author will provide data as requested.