Abstract: Iron ion is a necessary micronutrient for constituting human tissues and maintaining normal physiological functions. Iron deficiency in the body is prone to cause many nutritional deficiencies. Fe2+/Fe3+ chelating peptide is a kind of peptide that has the ability to chelate Fe2+/Fe3+ forming a soluble conjugate, which can promote the absorption of iron in the body. This paper summarizes the food sources, preparation, separation and purification, and structural characteristics of Fe2+/Fe3+ chelating peptides, as well as the formation and chelating sites of peptide-Fe2+/3+ complexes and the mechanism for promoting Fe2+/Fe3+ absorption, in order to provide a theoretical basis for the research and product development of Fe2+/Fe3+ chelating peptide.

Key words: Fe2+/Fe3+ chelating peptide; peptide-Fe2+/3+ complexes; structural characteristics; biological activities; absorption mechanism