Plant-Derived Antioxidant Peptides for Food and Biotechnology Applications: Molecular Mechanisms, Translational Perspectives, and Sustainable Industrial Development

Plant protein-derived antioxidant peptides have attracted substantial interest as promising candidates for functional foods and agricultural side-stream valorization. However, much of the current literature remains limited to fragmented reports of chemical antioxidant capacity, with far less attention paid to how these peptides behave under real-world food processing and physiological conditions. To bridge this gap, this review proposes an outcome-oriented, evidence-weighted framework that shifts peptide evaluation from simple laboratory-scale chemical potency toward biological efficacy, biotechnological viability, and industrial value. We systematically examine major plant protein sources, focusing on agricultural side streams within a circular economy, and critically evaluate production routes spanning traditional enzymatic hydrolysis, fermentation, and emerging recombinant expression systems. The structure-activity relationships of these peptides are analyzed alongside their dual-action antioxidant mechanisms: direct chemical pathways (hydrogen atom/electron transfer and metal chelation) and indirect cellular responses, including cytoprotective Nrf۲/ARE activation, pro-inflammatory NF-κB suppression, and mitochondrial homeostasis. A key feature of this review is that it treats peptide performance as a connected translational continuum rather than a set of isolated properties. Accordingly, we integrate peptide behavior in food matrices, processing stability, gastrointestinal survival, bioavailability, and the strength of evidence across chemical, cellular, in vivo, and human studies into a single decision-making pipeline. This continuum is operationalized through a newly designed Evidence-Weighting Matrix and a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) roadmap, allowing researchers to prioritize candidates based on a balance of bioactivity, sensory profile, safety, and production economics. Finally, we address key translation barriers, including bitterness, low bioavailability, and regulatory hurdles, while highlighting modern biotechnological interventions such as microencapsulation, AI-guided QSAR screening, and synthetic biology platforms. Ultimately, this review provides a practical, stage-gated decision framework to accelerate the transition of plant-derived antioxidant peptides from discovery to validated commercial application.

کلیدواژه ها:

Bioactive peptides ، Enzymatic hydrolysis ، Microbial fermentation ، Bioavailability ، Oxidative stress ، Structure-activity relationship ، Functional foods ، Valorization of agro-industrial by-products