燕窝是一种由金丝燕的颌下腺分泌物为主构建的可食用生物制品，历史悠久，被视为东方滋补佳品。最新的研究发现燕窝的水解物——燕窝肽，在一些领域具有更为优越的生物活性，超越传统燕窝。该综述主要内容包括燕窝的来源与基本组成、燕窝肽概述、燕窝肽的制备方法、燕窝肽的组成特征、燕窝肽的健康效应、燕窝肽的研究和应用中存在的科学与技术问题、燕窝肽的应用与市场趋势。研究显示，燕窝肽的制备方式包括水提取、酶水解、模拟消化、物理场辅助酶解。燕窝肽的制备方式极大地影响了其组成、结构和分子量，导致其功能性质不一。同时，由于其独特的结构和分子量分布，燕窝肽也被赋予了不同于燕窝的内服、外用两种使用方式。在健康效应方面，燕窝肽在抗氧化、抗衰老、美白、抗炎、皮肤保护、抗病毒、免疫调节、神经退行性疾病改善等多个领域都展现出了其独特的功效。特别是在特定领域燕窝肽具有优于燕窝的特点，例如美白。同时，燕窝肽仍然存在制备方法效率低、氨基酸序列不明确、核心肽段不明确、市场规模低等问题，仍需从基础研究、标准化等方面持续开展研究。该文可以为燕窝肽的技术创新和现代化发展提供理论参考。

Edible bird's nest is a biologically derived consumable product primarily made from the secretion of the submandibular gland of swiftlet birds. With a long history, it is regarded as a precious tonic in the East. The hydrolyzate of edible bird's nest, known as edible bird's nest peptide, exhibits superior biological activities in some areas compared to the traditional edible bird's nest. This review covers the origin and basic composition of edible bird's nest, gives an overview of edible bird's nest peptides, their preparation methods, compositional characteristics, health effects, scientific and technical issues in their research and applications, application, and market trends. Edible bird's nest peptide preparation methods include water extraction, enzymatic hydrolysis, simulated digestion, and physical field-assisted enzymolysis. The preparation method greatly influences its composition, structure, and molecular weight, resulting in differing functional properties. Due to its unique structure and molecular weight distribution, the administration methods of edible bird's nest peptide differ from traditional edible bird's nest; it can be used both orally and topically. In terms of health benefits, edible bird's nest peptide has demonstrated unique benefits in various areas, such as antioxidant, anti-aging, skin whitening, anti-inflammatory, skin protection, antiviral, immunoregulation, and neurodegenerative disease improvement. Notably, in certain areas, edible bird's nest peptides showed characteristics superior to edible bird's nest, such as skin whitening. However, certain issues regarding edible bird's nest peptides remain, such as low efficiency in preparation methods, unclear amino acid sequences, unclear core peptide segments, and a small market size. Continuous effort is required for basic research and standardization. This study could serve as a theoretical reference for the technological innovation and modernization of edible bird's nest peptide development.