Research on the Extraction Process of Peptides

The extraction process of peptides is the process of separating target peptide segments from natural raw materials through physical, chemical, or biological techniques, with the core being to maintain the activity and purity of the peptides. The existing technology achieves efficient extraction through a combination of enzymatic hydrolysis, ultrafiltration, purification, and other steps, which is suitable for multiple fields such as food, medicine, and beauty. The following will explain from the aspects of raw material processing, core methods, technical characteristics, etc.

 

1：Acquisition and pretreatment of raw materials

Peptides are extracted from a wide range of raw materials, including animal tissues (such as snail mucus, bovine bones), plants (soybeans, wheat) or microorganisms. Pretreatment steps directly affect the purity of the final product:

1. Cleaning and disinfection: removing impurities such as silt and microorganisms. For example, snail mucus needs to be centrifuged (usually at 3000-5000rpm) to separate pure liquid.
2. Crushing and homogenization: using mechanical crushing or ultrasonic-assisted technology to destroy the cell structure and release peptide molecules. For example, plant raw materials often need to be crushed to less than 100 meshes to improve extraction efficiency.
3. Activity protection: prevent degradation by low temperature (0-4℃) or adding antioxidants (such as vitamin C).

 

2：Comparison of core extraction technologies

The molecular characteristics and uses of different peptides determine the selection of extraction methods:

1. Enzymatic hydrolysis (mainstream technology)

Principle: Peptide bonds in protein were selectively hydrolyzed by proteases (such as trypsin and papain) to generate small peptides.
Parameter optimization: temperature (usually 35-55℃), pH value (related to enzyme activity, such as neutral protease pH7-8) and reaction time (2-24 hours) should be controlled. According to the research of Food Science, the yield of peptide can be increased by more than 20% by two-enzyme step hydrolysis (such as using alkaline protease first, then flavor protease).
Application case: In the production of collagen peptide, enzymatic hydrolysis avoids the possible harmful by-products produced by acid-base method, which meets the food safety standards.
2. Supercritical fluid extraction (emerging technology)

Principle: Using supercritical carbon dioxide (pressure ≥74bar, temperature ≥31℃) to dissolve and separate peptide molecules.
Advantages: no solvent residue, suitable for the extraction of heat-sensitive peptides. For example, in the extraction of melittin, this technology can retain more than 90% biological activity.

3. Acid-base method (traditional process)

Limitation: Strong acid or strong alkali may destroy the active structure of peptides, which is only suitable for peptides with high stability, such as some soybean peptides.

 

3：Key technologies of purification and drying

1.Purification stage

Ultrafiltration technology: Screening peptide fragments with target molecular weight through membrane pore size (e.g. 1-10kDa), and removing macromolecular impurities and salt.
Chromatographic separation: ion exchange chromatography or gel filtration chromatography can further improve the purity and is suitable for pharmaceutical-grade peptides (such as thymosin α1).
2.Drying process

Spray drying: high efficiency, but some activity may be lost due to high temperature (inlet air temperature 150-200℃), which is often used in the production of food additives.
Freeze-drying (freeze-drying): Dehydrated in vacuum below -50℃, with an activity retention rate of over 95%, which is mostly used in high-end skin care products or medical fields.

 

4：Application scenario and technology adaptation

1.Medical field
High purity peptide (such as antibacterial peptide): Depending on chromatographic purification technology, the purity should be ≥98%.
2.Functional food
Whey peptide and soybean peptide: enzymatic hydrolysis combined with spray drying gives consideration to both cost and activity.
3.Cosmetic raw materials
Snail peptide and collagen peptide: freeze-drying process ensures antioxidant and repair activity and is used for anti-aging products.

 

5：Future technology trends

1.Intelligent enzymatic hydrolysis process: predict the best enzyme combination and reaction conditions through AI, and shorten the research and development cycle.
2.Green and sustainable technology: promote supercritical extraction and ultrasonic-assisted technology, and reduce the use of chemical reagents. According to the statistics of Journal of Bioengineering, after 2019, more than 30% of new peptide products in the world will be produced by environmental protection technology.

To sum up, the extraction of peptides needs to choose the adaptation technology according to the characteristics and uses of raw materials. In the future, with the popularization of accurate enzymolysis and green technology, the activity retention and production efficiency of peptide products will be further improved.

 

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