Abstract:Phenols have been widely used in food systems because of their potential positive effects on human health. Furthermore, phenol-protein complexes can be formed in food systems through covalent or non-covalent interactions between phenols and proteins, affecting the structure and properties of proteins consequently. Therefore, the mechanism of phenolic-protein interactions, as well as the structural flexibility, functional properties, enzyme activity, oxidizability and digestibility of proteins were reviewed. Moreover, the common analytical methods to study the mechanism of phenolic-protein interactions were summarized. Finally, the future research direction of phenolic-protein interactions is also prospected.
