Mechanisms of plastein formation, and prospective food and nutraceutical applications of the peptide aggregates

•Plastein is a gel-like product of protease-induced peptide aggregation.•Plastein is formed by peptide condensation, transpeptidation and physical interaction.•Plastein can be used in enhancing protein quality and debittering protein hydrolysates.•The peptide aggregate also possesses bioactivity related to health promotion.•Future directions toward industrial applications of plastein are suggested.

Plastein is a protease-induced peptide aggregate with prospective application in enhancing the nutritional quality of proteins and debittering protein hydrolysates. These properties are yet to be applied in product development possibly due to economic considerations (production cost vs. product yields). This paper reviews currently proposed mechanisms of plastein formation including condensation, transpeptidation and physical interaction of aggregating peptides. Emerging findings indicate that plastein possesses bioactivities, thereby expanding its prospective application. The role of proteases in inducing peptide interaction in plastein remains unclear. Understanding the protease function will facilitate the development of efficient proteases and scalable industrial processes for plastein production.