From Bioactivity to Functionality: Bridging Marine Chemical Diversity and Performance in Food Systems

Marine-derived compounds are increasingly being reported as promising candidates for use in food products due to their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and other bioactive properties. However, the successful translation of these compounds into effective food ingredients lags far behind the growing body of bioactivity data. This discrepancy reflects the tendency to equate activity measured under simplified laboratory conditions with functionality in real food systems. This article argues that such an assumption is often misleading. The performance of marine bioactives in food matrices is affected by factors such as instability, interactions with surrounding components, processing conditions, and loss of efficacy over time. Consequently, conventional in vitro screening often overestimates application potential and has limited predictive value for practical use. To advance the field, we propose a functionality-driven translation framework that shifts the evaluation focus away from bioactivity-centred screening towards assessing stability, matrix compatibility, feasible dosages and performance under conditions mimicking food matrix complexity. Better alignment between discovery and application is essential if the diversity of marine chemicals is to generate robust and effective solutions for food systems.