Review on bioactive peptides from Antarctic krill: From preparation to structure-activity relationship and tech-functionality.

Antarctic krill bioactive peptides (AkBPs) have garnered considerable attention due to their rich bioresources, safety, cost-effectiveness, and health-promoting properties. AkBPs exhibit various bioactivities, including antioxidant, antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, immunoregulatory, antimicrobial, and anti-diabetic effects due to their amino acid composition, primary sequences, and conformational structures. Furthermore, AkBPs also possess different functional properties due to their hydrophilic/lipophilic properties and conformational flexibility. Despite the increasing volume of studies on AkBPs, a comprehensive systematic review is still lacking. This review summarizes research advancements on the bioactivities, structural characteristics, structure-activity relationships, and functional properties of AkBPs. The major challenges and prospects of AkBPs as functional components and their application are also discussed. This review provides valuable insights and constructive inspiration for future research direction and application of AkBPs.