Modification of Marine Bioactive Peptides: Strategy to Improve the Biological Activity, Stability, and Taste Properties

Marine bioactive peptides (MBPs) are widely applied in functional foods and medicine industries. Several studies indicate that MBP consumption may play a vital role in the body’s health due to their biological properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and ACE-inhibitory activities. However, the majority of MBPs have numerous limitations, including bitter taste, stability, and unfavorable bioactivity. Recently, chemical and physical modifications have been commonly used to solve these limitations. Modification of MBPs, which involves using novel techniques, was discussed in this review. This review displayed that MBP properties, including biological activity, stability, and taste properties, were improved after modification mainly by encapsulation and chemical reaction. In particular, the results showed that the biological properties (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, ACE-inhibitory, and antimicrobial activities) of the modified MBPs were higher than unmodified ones. In addition, the taste of MBPs, especially volatile flavor, was also enhanced after modification. Furthermore, modified MBPs may have to remain stable during food processing, storage, and in the host mouth and stomach for absorption in the small intestine. Therefore, modification of MBPs is an effective approach to protect and improve MBP properties. Finally, food matrix interactions and in vivo studies of modified MBPs are needed in the future.