Bioactive Food Proteins and Peptides : Applications in Human Health

Many naturally occurring compounds from foods such as rice, vegetables, fruits, and animal products possess properties that help to slow disease progression, inhibit pathophysiological mechanisms, or suppress activities of pathogenic molecules. Proteins and peptides play significant roles in such activities and are gaining importance as nutraceuticals that benefit numerous aspects of health and nutrition. Bioactive Food Proteins and Peptides: Applications in Human Health provides a human health perspective on food-derived proteins and peptides. It describes the potential for large-scale production with advances in technology and proposes challenges and opportunities for the future of health, nutrition, medicine, and the biosciences.

The book begins by addressing properties related to chemistry and bioactivity. It examines proteins and peptides as allergens, antihypertensive agents, antimicrobials, antioxidants, and anticancer agents. It also discusses findings on the bioavailability and toxicity of food-derived peptides and intestinal functions.

Next, the contributors present information on therapeutic peptides. They discuss recent developments in proteomics, bioavailability, and opportunities for designing future peptide-based foods.

Providing a comprehensive review of bioactive proteins and peptides obtained from food sources, the book brings together the most up-to-date and essential information from eminent researchers from all over the world. Academics, food scientists and technologists, nutritionists, biochemists, persons in industry, and government researchers and regulators will find this book to be an essential resource for new data and developments.

Dr. Navam Hettiarachchy’s current research focuses on an integrated approach to protein chemistry and biopeptides, value-added nutraceuticals, and product and food safety development. The spin-off of one of her projects has led to the formation of Nutraceutical Innovations LLC. The focus of this company is to generate value-added nutraceuticals in rice bran with a total systems approach. Her research program has pioneered anticancer research in rice and soybean peptides, and demonstrated potent anticancer activities in various types of cancer cell lines.

Professor Maurice Marshall’s research focuses on food enzymes, specifically polyphenol oxidases in fruits and vegetables and proteases from stomachless marine organisms, as well as unique browning inhibitors from insects, mussels, and crustaceans. He also works on the hydrolysis of waste seafood proteins for bioactive peptide generation and their action as antioxidants and in antidiabetic, anticancer, and high blood pressure regulation.

Professor Kenji Sato’s current research interest focuses on bioactive peptides, especially the metabolic fate of these peptides. His lab conducts research on food-derived peptides to demonstrate their absorption, metabolic fate, and efficacy, and to elucidate their molecular mechanisms of action.

Dr. Arvind Kannan is currently furthering studies on the bioactive peptide, and is involved in projects dealing with bioactive proteins and peptides. He also serves as a scientist at Nutraceutical Innovations LLC, a start-up firm that focuses on fermentation of rice bran to generate bioactives for value-added functional and nutraceutical uses.

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