Self-assembling peptides: Molecule-nanostructure-function and application on food industry

Peptide self-assembly as a popular hotspot in biotechnology, originating from biological nature to construct functional materials, is widely used in biomedicine, food, and cosmetics fields. However, due to the multiple combinations of amino acids, the self-assembly process is difficult to control with minor changes in the peptide sequence. Therefore, it is high demand to understand the relation of peptide sequence, function, and self-assembly. This review provides a prospective analysis of the literature on the different types of self-assembly peptides (SAPs), formed nanostructures, functions and their application on food industry. The design of specific functional peptide sequences is related to the control of self-assembly morphology, and this is also based on an in-depth understanding of the peptide structure and environmental factors that affect self-assembly. Besides, due to the remarkable structural characteristics, excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability, SAPs have great potential in the field of food. It will be a developing trend in this field to find peptides with both biological activity and self-assembly ability to expand their application in food field.