Plant proteins and peptides as key contributors to good health: A focus on pulses

The growing interest of the public in healthy food products with adequate nutritional quality has triggered a search for novel sources of protein. This review discusses scientific evidence on the available sources, processing, and biological properties of plant-based protein and bioactive peptides, with a particular emphasis on pulses, as these are some of the most important sources of protein and peptides displaying a wide range of health benefits. Processing plant-based proteins and derived peptides require standardized methods ensuring the improvement of their nutritional quality to counteract limiting factors affecting their evenness to other protein sources. If protein and bioactive peptides can be produced as functional ingredients, the industry releases patents, making them highly marketable to develop functional food products. Current research supports that plant-based food products constitute a nutritious part of a healthy diet by preventing chronic non-communicable diseases, but more studies, particularly clinical trials, are needed to demonstrate these effects fully.