Recent Advancements in Novel Bioactive Peptides and Protein Hydrolysates Isolated from Different Medicinal Plants Along with Their Applications in Food and Pharmaceutical Industries

Bioactive peptides and protein hydrolysates are recently gaining importance. Being functionally active they are used as ingredients in products like fortified fermented dairy products, oil-based products, bakery, soy and beverages. Bioactive peptides and hydrolysates isolated from Acacia catechu (Pep-RTYM), Astragalus membranaceus (AM-1), Angelica sinensis (Asipeps), Trigonella graecum (EFPH) and Azadirachta indica (NSPH) showed anti-hypertensive, anti-ageing, anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, antihyperglycemic, and anti-cancerous activity respectively. Traditionally, such peptides were in use in medicines due to the presence of functional amino acid groups such as imidazole, sulfhydryl, hydroxyl, and carboxyl responsible for specific bioactivity. Different conventional (enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation and chemical hydrolysis) and non-conventional methods (HHP, MAE, Ohmic, PEF, and SWE) were used to extract them from different plant parts viz. stem, leaves, roots, flowers, fruit and seeds. Among all these methods enzymatic hydrolysis has emerged as the foremost choice for generating bioactive peptides due to its capacity to yield specific products while maintaining mild conditions, eliminating residual organic solvents, and toxic chemicals from the final peptide preparations. However, the industry is driven to explore other avenues due to the significant enzyme cost, modest yields, and the restricted availability of enzymes suitable for food-grade applications. The present paper is a review study that explores variations in extraction and purification techniques for identifying bioactive peptides and protein hydrolysates. It emphasizes their potential utility in food, pharmaceutical and industrial applications.Graphical Abstract Graphical abstract representing bioactive peptides and protein hydrolysates isolated from medicinal plants with various applications.