Enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis of food proteins and production of bioactive peptides using high hydrostatic pressure technology

Abstract Background Bioactive peptides (BPs) generated by hydrolysis of food proteins exhibit a broad spectrum of biological properties (antihypertensive, hypocholesterolemic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, etc.) in both in vitro and in vivo models. Initially obtained from milk and egg products, BPs have now largely been obtained from food byproducts such as marine, animal and plant biomasses. Amongst the various strategies being developed for BPs production, enzymatic hydrolysis (EH) is the most widely preferred due to its GRAS nature. However, the main challenge of EH is to decrease the time and quantity of enzyme, and improve yield and bioactivity of BPs. Scope and approach Consequently, innovative and efficient food technologies have been developed to satisfy these needs. High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) processing, a non-thermal technology, initially developed to extend food shelf-life, is being considered as a promising tool to improve the efficiency of EH and generate high value-added peptide fractions from various complex biomasses. Findings and conclusions This innovative and emerging technology enhances EH by inducing protein unfolding/denaturation, as well as activating the enzymes used while maintaining their nutritional and functional properties. This review discusses the state of the art of HHP technique, its applications in combination with EH, and potential challenges for the production of BPs from food-derived protein sources.