Wheat-derived bioactive peptides: From preparation to functional application

Bioactive peptides have various functional and biological activities affecting health. Wheat protein composition has an exceptionally diverse mixture of distinct protein classes, each with unique structural and functional properties, representing promising precursors for generating these peptides. Although the peptides from wheat demonstrate diverse bioactivities, the full potential of wheat protein has not been fully exploited. This review covers recent advances in preparation methods, mechanisms of action, and applications in food systems of wheat-derived bioactive peptides. It also highlights critical challenges and future perspectives in this field. These peptides possess diverse biological activities that can be optimized through modulation of enzymatic hydrolysis parameters. Virtual screening technology offers an effective strategy for identifying and preparing wheat peptides. Additionally, these peptides may act via multiple pathways to exhibit their functional effects, producing multiple physiological effects by targeting different biological processes. The activities of these peptides are influenced by their structure. Currently, wheat-derived bioactive peptides represent a potential research direction in functional foods with broad application prospects. However, further research is needed to establish efficient commercial production methods and validate their health benefits in vivo . • Wheat bioactive peptides' biological activities can be enhanced by adjusting enzymolysis parameters. • Virtual screening effectively identifies wheat bioactive peptides. • Wheat bioactive peptides may act though multiple pathways to exert their mediated functional activities. • The activity of wheat bioactive peptides can be predicted from their structure. • Wheat bioactive peptides have broad application prospects in functional foods.