Interactions between proteins and polyphenols in plant-based food: Insight of allergenicity and off-flavor reduction

The allergenicity of plant proteins and the generation of off-flavors during processing pose challenges in developing plant-based products. Current processing methods often produce by-products and reduce food quality. Polyphenol-protein interactions offer a promising approach to address these issues by modifying protein allergenicity, reducing off-flavors, and enhancing functional properties. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which these interactions mitigate allergenicity and off-flavors. Polyphenol-protein interactions can modify the secondary and spatial structures as well as the linear epitopes of proteins. These modifications reduce Immunoglobulin E binding, enhance digestibility, and promote allergen precipitation, thereby lowering allergen content and minimizing the potential of the protein to induce allergic reactions. To reduce off-flavors, polyphenols primarily alter the structure of lipoxygenase through non-competitive binding, preventing polyunsaturated fatty acids from attaching to its active sites and thereby reducing oxidation reactions. Additionally, polyphenols can compete with off-flavor compounds for protein binding sites, thereby reducing off-flavor adsorption.