Research Progress on Preparation and Functional Activity of Corn Polypeptides

Corn gluten meal is a major by-product of corn wet-milling process in the starch industry. The low water solubility and deficiency of essential amino acids of corn gluten meal limits its application in the food industry, while corn polypeptides after enzymatic hydrolysis can greatly improve its functions and biological activities, it is one of the high value-added utilization methods. This review encompasses the studies reported to date on the main preparation methods of corn polypeptides, and also describes its bioactivities including antioxidant, antiglycemia, antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, pointing out the existing problems and future development prospects. The paper is of great significance for food enterprises to utilize corn gluten meal efficiently to develop bioactive peptides and improve economic benefits of the industry.