Noncovalent Polyphenol–Macromolecule Interactions and Their Effects on the Sensory Properties of Foods

Noncovalent interactions between food macromolecules like proteins and polysaccharides with polyphenols have a broad and extensive impact on the sensory properties of food. Because of the structural diversity of the interaction partners and the corresponding variety of binding mechanisms, the determination of the distinct sensorial consequences and the correlation with molecular features is complicated. Well-documented examples include the attenuation of astringency elicited by tannins in the presence of polysaccharides or the precipitation of anthocyanins by cell-wall polysaccharides during fruit juice processing. The proposed mechanism suggests that there exist additional intricate interactions including ternary complexes. The analytical characterization of the formed complexes is difficult due to the reversible nature of these interactions.