Research Progress on Bioactivities of Sensory Peptides

Sensory peptides are short-chain peptides with flavor characteristics or affecting flavor effects. Beyond their advantages of diverse sources, high bioavailability, and safety, certain peptides exhibit physiological regulatory functions. Firstly, the four stages of research on sensory peptides were summarized. The initial stage was the 1950s to the 1970s, when sensory peptides were isolated from natural food materials and their artificial synthesis was achieved. The rapid development stage was the 1980s to the 1990s, when analytical techniques and taste receptor research were used to systematically explore the structure-activity relationship and sensory evaluation methods. The process and application stage took place in the first decade of the 21st century, when the focus was placed on the optimization of enzymatic hydrolysis processes and the development of compound condiments to promote industrialization. And the multi-functional and precision stage has continued from 2010 to the present, when artificial intelligence and green manufacturing were combined to expand the high-throughput screening of sensory peptides and their nutritional and health functions. Secondly, by integrating multi-source databases and conducting systematic literature mining, a standardized dataset covering 781 sensory peptides was constructed from dimensions including screening strategies and information, inclusion principles of sensory peptides, standardized database category information, taste types, chain lengths, molecular weights, sources, and processing technologies. Their taste-type distribution, sequence characteristics, and source discovery were comprehensively analyzed to map current research landscapes. Furthermore, 182 sensory peptides with clear bioactivity reports were screened through high-throughput sequence alignment, and their sensory types, bioactivities, and “sensory-bioactivity” distribution characteristics were summarized. The research paradigms for three high-frequency bioactivities, ACE inhibition, DPP-Ⅳ inhibition, and antioxidant effects, were systematically summarized. This study aimed to provide multi-dimensional database support for the sensory peptide industry and offer a reference for the synergistic study of “flavor-function” dual attributes of sensory peptides.