Recent advances in the production of emulsifying peptides with the aid of proteomics and bioinformatics

Food industry aims to develop novel protein-based emulsifiers from sustainable sources (e.g. plants, seaweed/microalgae, microbial, and insects) to satisfy the clean-label demand by consumers. Enzymatic hydrolysis releases peptides with enhanced surface properties compared with the parent alternative proteins. Traditionally, a trial-and-error top-down approach, which requires extensive costs in screening analyses, has been carried out to produce emulsifying peptides. This review presents the recent advances in a novel and fundamentally orthogonal bottom-up strategy, facilitated by quantitative proteomics and bioinformatic functional prediction, to produce emulsifying peptides by targeted enzymatic hydrolysis based on in silico proteolysis. Moreover, new insights on the relation between interfacial properties of peptides and emulsifying activity, as well as impact on stability of wet and dried emulsions, are discussed.

Automated summary

The food industry aims to develop novel protein-based emulsifiers from sustainable sources to meet clean-label demand. Enzymatic hydrolysis produces peptides with enhanced surface properties. This review discusses a bottom-up approach using quantitative proteomics and bioinformatic prediction to produce emulsifying peptides through targeted enzymatic hydrolysis. It also explores the relationship between peptide interfacial properties and emulsifying activity, as well as the impact on stability of wet and dried emulsions.