WASTE AND BY-PRODUCTS FROM THE MEAT INDUSTRY AS A SOURCE OF BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS

Abstract

The aim of this review was to summarize existing knowledge on bioactive peptides from the waste and by-products from meat industry and identify future directions of research. Reducing food waste and transforming it into food and feed is a step toward the achievement of economic development while reducing adverse effects on the environment. Meat production and consumption have increased in recent years. Above 20% of meat is wasted in Europe throughout the different steps in the production chain. Meat waste and by-products are rich sources of proteins, bioactive compounds, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and have a potential to be further used for dietary and non-dietary purposes. Bioactive peptides often have health-promoting effects such as antioxidant, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antitumor activities when ingested and absorbed by human beings. Some bioactive peptides were shown to reduce the risk of development of cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, which are among the most common diseases currently. Several methods to isolate bioactive peptides from meat waste and by-products were developed. Enzymatic hydrolysis can generate hydrolyzates and certain bioactive peptides from larger proteins, and the hydrolyzates can be used as dietary supplements or as an additive to increase the protein content of food. Bioactive peptides can be isolated from the hydrolyzates and used as functional food components, dietary supplements or medicines. We concluded that wastes and by-products from the meat industry present an opportunity for the generation of health-promoting bioactive compounds which can be successfully used in food and other relevant industries. However, existing research mainly is mainly focused on the
influence of individual bioactive peptides on certain health parameters and is mainly performed using in vitro methods. Thus, future research should be directed to assess the long-term effects of bioactive compounds as a component of the whole diet.