Food-derived peptide-mineral complexes: An effective natural strategy for enhancing mineral bioavailability and synergistic biological activities

Food-derived peptide-mineral complexes (FPMCs) have been widely studied in recent years due to their positive benefits in human health, including promoting mineral absorption, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-osteoporosis, and other biological activities. FPMCs employ food-derived peptides (FPs) as mineral chelators, which can form stable coordination structures with mineral ions such as calcium, iron, and zinc through the functional groups. Moreover, FPMCs effectively enhance the bioavailability of minerals and exhibit superior biological activities compared to their individual components by synergistically integrating the structural and functional advantages of both FPs and mineral ions. The present paper targets FPMCs, including their preparation, chelation mechanisms, influencing factors, bioactivities, and modification strategies, as well as the application of bioinformatics in mineral chelating peptide screening and mechanism analysis. Finally, further considerations regarding research on FPMCs are provided, which will assist researchers in conducting more comprehensive studies to promote the effective and safe use of FPMCs.