Oral Delivery Systems for Food-Derived Bioactive Peptides: Enhancing Stability, Bioavailability, and Health Benefits
Yu Xu1,2, Fan Li1,2, Runan Zhao3,4
1State Key Laboratory For Development and Utilization of Forest Food Resources, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, P. R. China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|July 23, 2026
Summary
Food-derived bioactive peptides (FBPs) show promise for chronic disease management but suffer from poor oral bioavailability. Advanced delivery systems like nanoparticles enhance their stability and absorption, paving the way for functional foods.
Area of Science:
- Nutraceuticals and Food Science
- Biotechnology and Drug Delivery
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Background:
- Food-derived bioactive peptides (FBPs) offer therapeutic potential for chronic diseases due to bioactivity and biocompatibility.
- Low oral bioavailability, caused by processing instability, bitterness, and gastrointestinal degradation, limits FBP therapeutic applications.
- Key challenges include environmental sensitivities (temperature, pH, metal ions) and physiological barriers (enzymatic hydrolysis, mucus, epithelial transport).
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the bottlenecks hindering oral delivery of FBPs.
- To explore advanced delivery systems for overcoming these challenges.
- To provide a framework for advancing FBP delivery platforms in functional foods and chronic disease management.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of literature on FBP delivery challenges and solutions.
- Analysis of advanced delivery systems including nanoparticles (NPs), nanoemulsions (NEs), liposomes, hydrogels, and composite carriers.
- Evaluation of preclinical data on enhanced bioactivity and targeted delivery of FBPs using these systems.
Main Results:
- Advanced delivery systems significantly enhance FBP stability and intestinal absorption compared to free peptides.
- Engineered systems show promise in preclinical models for neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory therapy, metabolic regulation, and cancer treatment.
- A critical bottleneck remains in establishing quantitative correlations between formulation parameters and in vivo bioavailability.
Conclusions:
- Advanced delivery systems are crucial for overcoming FBP oral delivery limitations.
- Future research should focus on stimuli-responsive platforms, standardized manufacturing, and safety evaluation.
- Optimized FBP delivery holds potential for functional foods and effective chronic disease management.
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