Peptides are short amino acid chains that typically contain 2 to 50 amino acids bonded together by peptide bonds. They are smaller and more easily absorbed than proteins, whose molecular structure is much greater.
Peptides have a molecular weight of less than 6000 Da, making them extremely accessible and fast-acting in both animals and humans.
Bioactive peptides are multifunctional molecules produced by protein breakdown. They can be linear or cyclic, and are made out of 25 natural amino acids in various combinations.
Types of Peptides (According to Source)
Bioactive peptides are broadly categorized into four major categories:
1. Peptides of Animal Endocrine Cells
Animals naturally release these to regulate body functions, which include:
- Growth hormone-releasing hormone
- Thyrotropin
- Oxytocin
- Insulin-like growth factors, or IGFs
2. Milk-derived bioactive peptides
- Frequently found in colostrum and dairy:
- epidermal growth factor (EGF)
- IGF
- Casein hydrolysate peptides (for example, tyropeptides and casein phosphopeptides).
3. Peptides derived from animal organs or microorganisms
Examples include:
- Thymus Peptide
- Pancreatic polypeptides
- Antimicrobial peptides
4. Peptides derived from the enzymatic hydrolysis of feed proteins.
These are formed when feed proteins are degraded by certain proteolytic enzymes. Examples include:
- Enzyme-hydrolyzed soybean peptides
- Enzyme-hydrolyzed fish meal peptides.
- Peptides extracted from different feed protein source materials
What Functions Do Peptides Perform?
Bioactive peptides have considerable biological activity and have four fundamental roles in animals:
1. Inhibition.
- Inhibit cytopathies
- Reduce the dangerous germs.
- Strengthen disease resistance.
2. Activation
- Activate the cell metabolism.
- Remove the damaging free radicals.
- Promote bodily detoxification.
3. Repair.
- Restore the injured cells.
- Improves nutrition absorption.
- accelerate tissue recovery
4. Promotion.
- Promote growth.
- Enhance enzyme activity.
- Improve the overall metabolism.
What effect do peptides have on the pig industry?
Peptides are becoming increasingly popular in modern pig rearing due to their excellent digestion and biological usefulness. Their main benefits include:
1. Improved Growth Performance
- Faster body weight gain.
- Improved feed conversion ratio (FCR).
- Muscle protein production is enhanced.
2. Stronger Immunity
- Helps piglets grow a stronger immune system.
- Reduces the chance of infection.
- Reduces postweaning stress.
3. More digestible than full proteins.
Because peptides are tiny molecules, they are quickly absorbed in the small intestine. This leads to the following:
- Increased nutrition consumption
- Reduced metabolic burden.
- Piglets have less diarrhea.
4. Improved gut health.
Peptides can:
- Repair intestinal villi
- Reduce intestinal inflammation
- Promote beneficial gut bacteria
5. Natural Disease Prevention
Bioactive peptides act like natural, safe substitutes for antibiotics. They:
- Kill harmful bacteria
- Reduce oxidative stress
- Improve resistance to diseases
