Bioactive peptides in dry-cured ham: A comprehensive review of preparation methods, metabolic stability, safety, health benefits, and regulatory frameworks.

Dry-cured hams contain abundant bioactive peptides with significant potential for the development of functional foods. However, the limited bioavailability of food-derived bioactive peptides has hindered their utilization in health food development. Moreover, there is insufficient regulatory information regarding bioactive peptides and related products globally. This review summarizes diverse bioactive peptides derived from dry-cured ham and by-products originating from various countries and regions. The bioactivity, preparation techniques, bioavailability, and metabolic stability of these bioactive peptides are described, as well as the legal and regulatory frameworks in various countries. The primary objectives of this review are to dig deeper into the functionality of dry-cured ham and provide theoretical support for the commercialization of bioactive peptides from food sources, especially the dry-cured ham.

Novel Casein-Derived Peptide-Zinc Chelate: Zinc Chelation and Transepithelial Transport Characteristics.

Casein-derived peptides are recognized as promising candidates for improving zinc bioavailability through the form of a peptide-zinc chelate. In the present work, a novel 11-residue peptide TEDELQDKIHP identified from casein hydrolysate in our previous study was synthesized to investigate the zinc chelation characteristics. Meanwhile, the digestion stability and transepithelial transport of TEDELQDKIHP-Zn were also investigated. The obtained results indicated that the carboxyl groups (from Asp and Glu), amino groups (from Lys and His), pyrrole nitrogen group of Pro, and imidazole nitrogen group of His were responsible for zinc chelation. The complexation with zinc resulted in a more ordered structure of TEDELQDKIHP-Zn. In terms of digestion stability, the chelate of TEDELQDKIHP-Zn could remain stable to a large extent after gastric (78.54 ± 0.14%) and intestinal digestion (70.18 ± 0.17%). Moreover, TEDELQDKIHP-Zn was proven to be a well-absorbed biological particle with a Papp value higher than 1 × 10-6 cm/s, and it could be transported across the intestine epithelium through transcytosis. TEDELQDKIHP-Zn exhibited more bioavailable effects on zinc absorption and ALP activity than inorganic zinc sulfate.