Generally, bioactive peptides are natural compounds of food or part of protein that are inactive in the precursor molecule. However, they may be active after hydrolysis and can be transported to the active site. Biologically active peptides can also be synthesized chemically and characterized. Peptides have many properties, including antihypertensive, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticoagulant, and chelating effects. They are also responsible for the taste of food or for the inhibition of enzymes involved in the development of diseases. The scientific literature has described many peptides with bioactive properties obtained from different sources. Information about the structure, origin, and properties of peptides can also be found in many databases. This review will describe peptides inhibiting the development of current diseases, peptides with antimicrobial properties, and new alternative sources of peptides based on the current knowledge and documentation of their bioactivity. All these issues are part of modern research on peptides and their use in current health or technological problems in food production.

In the last decade, increasing attention has been focused on entomophagy in Europe. However, Western societies rarely experience insects as a food source. Depending on the country, the approach to entomophagy is variables. This study was performed to assess the perception of entomophagy in the Polish population and comparison with other European societies. An online survey was conducted with a final sample of 419 participants. Several variables were established, and their influence on the acceptance of insect was analysed by applying the Chi-square test of independence. We found that the respondents had limited knowledge about entomophagy; hence, willingness to eat insects is limited by unawareness and neophobia. The attitude towards insects is a strong predictor of the readiness to eat insects and buy insect-based products. The results have shown that processed insect products can increase consumers’ willingness to buy insect-based products. It should be noted that almost 60% of the 15.51% of the respondents who had eaten insects previously rated the insect taste as good and very good. We conclude that higher awareness of entomophagy is required to accept insects as food besides the willingness to try. Moreover, the future of insect consumption depends on the sensory characteristics (appearance, smell, taste) of insect-based products; hence, food industry should focus on processed foods with insect based food ingredients to make them familiar to consumers.

The aim of this study was to test the usefulness of environmental enrichment for Eublepharis macularius depending on the maintenance method (terrarium vs. rack system). The hypothesis was that reptiles kept in an extremely low-stimulus environment (rack system) would be more prone to interact with environmental enrichment items than those kept in a biotope terrarium. During the study, 21 female geckos were kept in two types of captive enclosures: 9 in terrariums, and 12 in rack system boxes in groups of 3 animals per enclosure. During the enrichment sessions, geckos were observed for 45 min while enrichment items (dry and wet hides, a new feeding method, a new object) were present in the enclosure. All geckos showed interest in enrichment items that enabled hiding and climbing. Animals kept in the rack system showed significantly lower latency in approaching enrichment items and a higher frequency of enrichment interactions than lizards in biotope terrariums. However, no significant differences were found in the total time spent interacting with enrichment items between geckos in the two settings.