Sustainable bioactive peptides from by-products of woody oil plants: Updated insights into biological functions and molecular modelling

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Background By-products of woody oil plants (BWOPs), such as pressed cakes and defatted meals generated during oil extraction, are protein-rich resources with great potential for high-value applications. Valorizing these proteins into bioactive peptides (BPs) can enhance economic value, reduce waste, and promote the development of functional foods and nutraceuticals, thus contributing to a more sustainable woody oil industry. Scope and approach The review aims to provide an updated overview of BPs derived from BWOPs (BWOPPs), covering their biological activities and mechanisms of action. Notably, it highlights advanced bioinformatics approaches to enable the investigation of BWOPPs. Key findings and conclusions BWOPPs hold considerable potential as ingredients for functional foods and nutraceuticals, exhibiting various bioactivities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and neuroprotective effects. Recent advances in peptide characterization, including molecular modeling techniques such as quantitative structure-activity relationships, virtual screening, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and quantum chemistry calculations, combined with experimental validation in cell and animal models, strongly support their further development and application.