Research and Application Progress of Insect Antimicrobial Peptides on Food Industry

Abstract

With several desirable properties, such as heat-tolerant, relatively broad antimicrobial spectrum and low toxicity to eukaryotic cells, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs)—especially the “food-derived antimicrobial peptides”—may serve as a potentially significant group of food preservatives. Insects produce a variety of AMPs that play a crucial role in protecting them from invading microorganisms. This article overviews research and application progress of insect antimicrobial peptides on food industry, especially the existing problems for AMPs, which might be contributive in designing new and promising antimicrobial peptides for food preservatives.