Bioactive peptides

Abstract

Peptides are small molecules composed of less than 20 amino acid residues. They are either derived from their parental polypeptide chains by enzymatic processes or even freely exist in natural sources. Bioactive peptides are those which have various biological activities such as antioxidative, anti-inflammation and immunomodulation. Further, they also show antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral activities. Moreover, in human, bioactive peptides also perform crucial role in the regulation of digestive, endocrine, cardiovascular, immune, and nervous systems. Therefore, bioactive peptides are recently being used for the improvement of human life due to their several biological properties. In this book chapter, we discuss the different sources, methods for the production, and biological activities of bioactive peptides.