Resist or degrade? In vitro gastrointestinal digestion and health impact of legume-derived bioactive peptides

Legumes are a group of environmentally sustainable major crops with rich nutritional profiles such as vitamins, fibers, minerals, antioxidants, and proteins, making them a great alternative to animal-derived proteins. The significance and importance of legumes cannot be overemphasized since they contain multifarious types of proteins, and are consumed globally. Legume-derived peptides (LDPs) are known for their biological activities and potential health benefits including gastrointestinal (GI) health maintenance. Some of these peptides resist digestion while others do not, especially at the gastric and duodenal/intestinal phases. This study reviews the GI digestion (GID), extraction, and isolation of legume proteins, and the separation/purification of LDPs. Studies on LDPs' in vitro GID are comparable based on resistance or digestibility, and their impacts on human GI health. Although the GI health benefits of LDPs have been established, contrasting data on their in vitro GID necessitate further robust studies on LDPs using in vitro, in vivo, and clinical strategies.