The preparation of food-derived peptides for calcium delivery: formation routes, binding mechanisms and strategies to enhance biofunctionality.

As the global population continues to age, consumers are increasingly focusing on new calcium supplementation methods with improved calcium delivery efficiency to the body. Food-derived peptides have emerged as a promising method for calcium delivery, owing to their strong ability to form chelates or complexes with calcium, as well as their high nutritional value, stability, and bioavailability. These calcium-chelating peptides may offer additional health benefits such as antioxidant and antihypertensive properties. In this review article, we examine a variety of currently utilized peptide sources and calcium sources, emphasizing the technical preparation methods, structural characterization, and physiological functions of these peptide‑calcium chelates. The article also summarizes the main strategies for improving the bioavailability of peptide‑calcium chelates, including phosphorylation, glycosylation, deamidation modification, plastein reaction, and micro/nanoencapsulation. In addition, current research gaps and potential future research directions of these peptides have also been outlined in this paper. This review offers detailed approaches to the design and preparation of peptides for calcium delivery, thereby facilitating the advancement and application of peptide‑calcium chelates within the food industry.