Turning trash into treasure: bioactive peptides from food waste–a decade of progress in extraction, purification, and applications: a systematic review

Bioactive peptides, short amino acid chains with health benefits, are emerging as key components of sustainable health solutions, especially when derived from food waste. Byproducts like dairy whey, fish residues, bakery waste, and plant-based agricultural byproducts are rich sources of these peptides, which have antihypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory effects. This review focuses on: (1) extraction, purification, characterization, and applications of bioactive peptides, emphasizing their potential for a circular economy and environmental sustainability; (2) methods like enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, and high-pressure processing (HPP) are evaluated for their efficiency, scalability, and sustainability. Purification techniques such as ultrafiltration, ion-exchange chromatography, and gel filtration are examined for isolating high-purity peptides. Characterization methods, including mass spectrometry (MS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), are discussed for determining peptide properties; (3) global insights on bioactive peptide development from 2014 to 2024, challenges in large-scale production, and promising applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Finally, the utilization of bioactive peptides from food waste offers a sustainable, economically viable solution for developing functional foods and nutraceuticals, turning trash into treasure and aligning with global health and environmental sustainability goals.