Biological activity of peptides purified from fish skin hydrolysates

Abstract

Fish skin waste accounts for part of the solid waste generated from seafood processing. Utilization of fish skin by bioconversion into high-grade products would potentially reduce pollution and economic cost associated with treating fish processing waste. Fish skin is an abundant supply of gelatin and collagen which can be hydrolyzed to produce bioactive peptides of 2-20 amino acid sequences. Bioactivity of peptides purified from fish skin includes a range of activities such as antihypertensive, anti-oxidative, antimicrobial, neuroprotection, antihyperglycemic, and anti-aging. Fish skin acts as a physical barrier and chemical barrier through antimicrobial peptide innate immune action and other functional peptides. Small peptides have been demonstrated to possess biological activities which are based on their amino acid composition and sequence. Fish skin-derived peptides contain a high content of hydrophobic amino acids which contribute to the antioxidant and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory activity. The peptide-specific composition and sequence discussed in this review can be potentially utilized in the development of pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products.