Enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation: The most favorable biotechnological methods for the release of bioactive peptides

•Peptide release methods influence its bioactivity by generating different sequences.•The absorption, toxicity and taste of peptides is influenced by the production method.•The most used methods are enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation.•The most used methods are biotechnological and differ in their process. Bioactive peptides are biomolecules derived from proteins. They contain anywhere from 2 to 20 amino acids and have different bioactivities. For example, they have antihypertensive activity, antioxidant activity, antimicrobial activity, etc. However, bioactive peptides are encrypted and inactive in the parental protein, so it is necessary to release them to show their bioactivity. For this, there are different methods, where biotechnological methods are highly favorable, highlighting enzymatic hydrolysis and microbial fermentation. The choice of the method to be used depends on different factors, which is why it is essential to know about the process, its principle, and its advantages and disadvantages. The process of peptide release is critical to generate various peptide sequences, which will produce different biological effects in the hydrolysate. This review focuses on providing extensive information on the enzymatic method and microbial fermentation to facilitate selecting the method that provides the most benefits.