Di- and tripeptides in dry-cured pork: taste and bioactivity
What it found
Dry-cured pork products contain many small peptides that may add taste and have potential health effects, but most evidence comes from lab tests and animal studies, not people.
What they found
Studies in people and animals
Bioactivity in lab tests
Many di- and tripeptides from dry-cured pork show potential health effects in lab tests, such as lowering blood pressure or acting as antioxidants. Some have also been tested in animals.
Human studies limited
A few studies in people have looked at peptides from other foods, like sardine muscle, and found blood pressure lowering effects. But for dry-cured pork peptides, most evidence is from lab or animal studies.
Other findings
How peptides form
During dry-curing, pork muscle enzymes break down proteins into many small peptides, including di- and tripeptides. This process is similar across different dry-curing methods.
Taste from peptides
Di- and tripeptides can taste bitter, umami, sweet, sour, or salty. For example, peptides with certain amino acids like E and D often give umami or salty tastes, while those with F, Y, L, I, or V tend to be bitter.
Kokumi taste
Some peptides, especially those with gamma-glutamyl groups, enhance other tastes like umami and saltiness without having a strong taste themselves. This is called kokumi activity.
What the authors conclude
“Di- and tripeptides are absorbed more efficiently than larger ones, which are prone to be hydrolyzed by enterocyte peptidases.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that di- and tripeptides are important for the taste of dry-cured pork and may have health benefits.
- They suggest that more research is needed to understand how these peptides work in the body and to develop ways to use them in food or medicine.
- They note that the small size of di- and tripeptides makes them easier for the body to absorb than larger peptides.
How it was done
The authors wanted to gather what is known about di- and tripeptides in dry-cured pork, because these small peptides are less studied than larger ones even though they are made in larger amounts and may be more bioactive and important for taste.
They reviewed existing research on how di- and tripeptides are formed during dry-curing of pork, what tastes they give, and what health effects they might have. The review covers studies in lab tests, animals, and some in people.
What it can’t tell you
- Most of the health effects have only been seen in lab tests or animals, so it is not known if they happen in people.
- The review does not include studies that directly test whether eating dry-cured pork improves health in people.
- It is not clear how much of these peptides actually reach the body in an active form after eating.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Ministry of Science and Innovation Spain (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest.
- Authors work at
- Instituto de Agroquímica y Tecnología de Alimentos (CSIC), Spain
The paper
- Title
- Bioactive and Sensory Di- and Tripeptides Generated during Dry-Curing of Pork Meat
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Heres A, Mora L, Toldrá F (2023). Bioactive and Sensory Di- and Tripeptides Generated during Dry-Curing of Pork Meat. International journal of molecular sciences. doi:10.3390/ijms24021574Free full textPubMed 36675084DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error