An updated review of the biological activities, production and safety of meat-derived peptides

Meat-derived peptides (MDPs) through enzymatic hydrolysis possess an excellent potential for functional foods development except that their safety has always been a major concern. In this review, diligent efforts were made to provide the most updated perspectives on MDPs from multifarious sources, their biological activities and safety issues. In addition to these parameters, their production and market challenges were discussed. High costs involved, poor sensorial qualities, instability, and limited toxicologic and clinical data pose significant challenges to developing functional foods based on MDPs. To ensure the safety of these bioactive peptides and their commercial applications, digestibility, absorbability, metabolism, bioavailability and excretory studies should be considered in preclinical and clinical settings. Further studies in this line of research are of great importance.