Oilseed-Derived Bioactive Peptides: Bibliometric Analysis and Sustainability Prospects

Introduction: Although animal proteins are widely recognized for their high nutritional quality, concerns about their environmental burden and the health implications of excessive consumption of certain animal-derived foods have stimulated interest in more sustainable protein sources and value-added derivatives. This study aimed to analyze global scientific production on bioactive peptides derived from oilseed proteins, with emphasis on the evolution of themes, research gaps, and sustainability-oriented prospects. Methods: A bibliometric analysis was conducted using 233 records from the Web of Science Core Collection, indexed from 2004 to 2024. The dataset was examined using Bibliometrix in R and VOSviewer, complemented by thematic and temporal mapping approaches. Results: The literature showed sustained growth, with an annual growth rate of 15.39%, and was organized primarily around enzymatic hydrolysis, antioxidant activity, and cardiometabolic bioactivities. Network mapping identified major thematic domains related to peptide generation, bioactivity screening, by-product valorization, and emerging applied contexts. Temporal and conceptual analyses indicated that the field remained centered on hydrolysis-based discovery workflows, while more recent studies increasingly incorporated peptide identification, process refinement, and application-oriented evaluation. Soybean and other oilseed meals were recurrent substrates, whereas antioxidant, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and antidiabetic activities were among the most frequently reported outcomes. Discussion: The field was found to be increasingly interdisciplinary, although methodological heterogeneity and uneven validation still limited cross-study comparability and translational interpretation. Conclusion: Research on oilseed-derived bioactive peptides has advanced toward more integrated, sustainability-oriented approaches, but further advances will depend on experimental designs that connect peptide generation, sequence-level characterization, gastrointestinal fate, and application-level validation within comparable, reproducible frameworks.