Polyphenol-polysaccharide interactions: molecular mechanisms and potential applications in food systems – a comprehensive review

Polyphenols, a major class of plant secondary metabolites, are well known for their diverse bioactive properties. It has also been established that polyphenols interact with other macromolecules, such as proteins, polysaccharides, and lipids in the food matrix. Among the primary metabolites of the plant, carbohydrates play a significant role. Polyphenols and polysaccharides form complexes upon interaction; this interaction could be through covalent or non-covalent bonds, such as electrostatic, hydrophobic, van der Waals forces, and hydrogen bonding. These polysaccharide-polyphenol complexes exhibit enhanced bioactivity and influence the digestibility of complex macronutrients (such as proteins and polysaccharides), as well as their biological efficacy, bioavailability, and stability. Despite their numerous benefits and potential applications, the underlying mechanisms of interaction and complex formation between polysaccharides and polyphenols, as well as the influence of their structural parameters, remain underexplored. This comprehensive review summarizes the basic molecular-level implications of polysaccharides and polyphenols, exploring their potential applications in the food industry, and provides a basic understanding of their occurrence in various food matrices, characteristics of both polyphenols and polysaccharides that influence their interaction mechanisms, and detection under laboratory conditions. The review aims to bridge the gap between the molecular-level understanding of the complex and the development of potential nutraceuticals and functional food ingredients based on polysaccharide-polyphenol complexation.