Bioactive peptides in reformulated food

Abstract

The consumption of processed foods has surged, driven by globalization, lifestyle changes, convenience, and economic factors. This trend, while providing choices for consumers, also raises concerns about unbalanced diets leading to long-term health issues. Despite the negative associations with processed foods, their processing can enhance safety, shelf life, and nutritional profiles. Balancing choices in a healthy diet is a consumer responsibility. Enhancing health properties of processed foods through reformulation, with a focus on reducing salt, sugar, and fats, is crucial. Food reformulation, supported at global and national levels, aims to redesign processed foods for better nutrition. Additionally, reformulation can address sustainability by utilizing agricultural and processing waste. A key consideration is focusing on commonly consumed foods across socioeconomic classes. Bioactive peptides in proteins offer potential health benefits like antioxidant and antihypertensive effects. Incorporating these into foods requires overcoming challenges like effective dosing and potential off flavors. Regulatory criteria exist, but the path to commercializing bioactive peptides faces hurdles, including limited human trials and scalability concerns. To encourage healthier choices, a model evaluating foods for both traditional composition and health-promoting potential is needed, accompanied by consumer education on food preparation and ingredient choices. Demystifying the perception of processed and reformulated foods is crucial for their acceptance.