Towards innovative food processing of flavonoid compounds: Insights into stability and bioactivity

Flavonoids are a ubiquitous group of phytochemicals with diverse bioactivities. They are widely distributed in numerous plant-based foods with potential health benefits. Humans directly consume flavonoid-rich foods or ingest them after food processing or cooking. These processes may exert either a positive or negative impact on the stability and bioactivity of flavonoid compounds. In this review, the impacts of different food processing methods on flavonoid contents in various food sources were systematically summarized. Moreover, the influence of the structural characteristics on the stability of flavonoids was also discussed. Notably, according to the recently reported studies on flavonoid-rich foods subjected to some nonthermal treatments, the increased retention of flavonoid contents and improved antioxidant activities can be found. The current review focusing on variations of flavonoids under different processing conditions can provide a theoretical reference for maintaining flavonoid compounds in the food matrix during food processing.