Interactions between polyphenols and proteins have been studied for many decades, with a primary focus on the noncovalent, reversible complexes that form rapidly in aqueous solution.  These interactions have long attracted the interest of food and beverage scientists, since they are factors in important properties including haze formation and astringency.  Recent appreciation of the beneficial health effects of polyphenols has driven additional research into interactions with proteins that may control bioactivity or bioavailability.  This review will focus on the fundamental basis for polyphenol-protein interactions, with emphasis on methods used to explore the interactions, and the molecular forces that drive the interaction.  Non-covalent interactions with proteins ranging from salivary proteins to therapeutic target proteins, as well as food and gastrointestinal proteins, will be described.  The role of polyphenols as antioxidants will be integrated into the study of polyphenol-protein interactions by exploring the covalent bonds that form when a polyphenol is oxidized in the presence of proteins.  Unanswered questions and directions for future research will be highlighted.

Tannin-protein interactions � in the lab, in beverages, and in the gastrointestinal tract

246th National Meeting (2013)

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