Hernández Correas Noelia, Liceaga Andrea M, Abellán Adela, Muñoz-Rosique Beatriz, Tejada Luis
Faculty of Pharmacy and Nutrition, Universidad Católica de Murcia-UCAM, Campus de los Jerónimos, 30107 Murcia, Spain.
Protein Chemistry and Bioactive Peptides Laboratory, Department of Food Science, Purdue University, 745 Agricultural Mall Drive, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2009, USA.
Antioxidants (Basel). 2025 Aug 18;14(8):1011. doi: 10.3390/antiox14081011.
Dry-cured ham is a traditional food in the Mediterranean diet, which, in addition to its sensory qualities, is a natural source of bioactive peptides generated during the curing process through the action of endogenous enzymes on muscle and sarcoplasmic proteins. These low-molecular-weight peptides have attracted growing interest due to their multiple bioactivities, including antihypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory effects described in vitro, in vivo, and in preliminary human studies. The identification of specific sequences, such as AAPLAP, KPVAAP, and KAAAAP (ACE inhibitors), SNAAC and GKFNV (antioxidants), RHGYM (antimicrobial), and AEEEYPDL and LGVGG (dipeptidyl peptidase-IV and α-glucosidase inhibitors), has been possible thanks to the use of peptidomics techniques, tandem mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics tools that allow their activity to be characterized, their digestive stability to be predicted, and their bioavailability to be evaluated. This review article summarizes current knowledge on the bioactivities of peptides derived from dry-cured ham, advances in their functional characterization, and challenges associated with their application in functional foods and nutraceuticals, with the aim of providing a comprehensive overview of their potential in health promotion and chronic disease prevention.
干腌火腿是地中海饮食中的传统食物，除了其感官品质外，还是腌制过程中内源性酶作用于肌肉和肌浆蛋白产生的生物活性肽的天然来源。这些低分子量肽因其多种生物活性而受到越来越多的关注，包括体外、体内和初步人体研究中描述的降压、抗氧化、抗菌、抗糖尿病和抗炎作用。由于使用了肽组学技术、串联质谱和生物信息学工具，使得鉴定特定序列成为可能，这些工具能够表征其活性、预测其消化稳定性并评估其生物利用度，如AAPLAP、KPVAAP和KAAAAP（血管紧张素转换酶抑制剂）、SNAAC和GKFNV（抗氧化剂）、RHGYM（抗菌剂）以及AEEEYPDL和LGVGG（二肽基肽酶-IV和α-葡萄糖苷酶抑制剂）。这篇综述文章总结了关于干腌火腿衍生肽生物活性的现有知识、其功能表征的进展以及在功能性食品和营养保健品中应用所面临的挑战，旨在全面概述它们在促进健康和预防慢性病方面的潜力。
