Comprehensive evaluation of peptides quality using a “quantity-activity integration” approach with a portable NIR spectrometer and entropy weighted TOPSIS method: A case study in sea cucumber peptides

Abstract

Peptides are highly valued for their nutritional benefits, yet most current evaluation methods focus solely on peptide content or specific bioactivities. In this study, we introduce a novel “quantity-activity integration” approach that combines a portable near-infrared (NIR) spectrometer with the entropy weight TOPSIS method for a comprehensive assessment of peptide quality. Using sea cucumber peptides (SCP) as a model, we integrated chemometric techniques with NIR spectroscopy to successfully predict both peptide content and antioxidant activity. The top-performing prediction models demonstrated strong predictive power, with a residual prediction deviation above 2.2 and a correlation coefficient exceeding 0.9. The entropy weight TOPSIS method was then used to rank SCP quality based on these predicted values. For the highest-ranked SCP, amino acid nutritional evaluation was also performed. This integrated approach provides a valuable tool for the comprehensive evaluation of peptide quality.