The Food Processing Center, Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska.
Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf. 2021 Jan;20(1):1036-1074. doi: 10.1111/1541-4337.12679. Epub 2020 Dec 19.
Astringency, as a kind of puckering, drying, or rough sensation, is widely perceived from natural foods, especially plants rich in phenolic compounds. Although the interaction and precipitation of salivary proteins by phenolic compounds was often believed as the major mechanism of astringency, a definitive theory about astringency is still lacking due to the complex oral sensations. The interaction with oral epithelial cells and the activation of trigeminal chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors also shed light on some of the phenolic astringency mechanisms, which complement the insufficient mechanism of interaction with salivary proteins. Since phenolic compounds with different types and structures show different astringency thresholds in a certain regularity, there might be some relationships between the phenolic structures and perceived astringency. On the other hand, novel approaches to reducing the unfavorable perception of phenolic astringency have been increasingly emerging; however, the according summary is still sparse. Therefore, this review aims to: (a) illustrate the possible mechanisms of astringency elicited by phenolic compounds, (b) reveal the possible relationships between phenolic structures and perception of astringency, and (c) summarize the emerging mitigation approaches to astringency triggered by phenolic compounds. This comprehensive review would be of great value to both the understanding of phenolic astringency and the finding of appropriate mitigation approaches to phenolic astringency in future research.
涩味作为一种收敛、干燥或粗糙的感觉，广泛存在于天然食品中，尤其是富含酚类化合物的植物中。尽管人们通常认为酚类化合物与唾液蛋白的相互作用和沉淀是涩味的主要机制，但由于口腔感觉的复杂性，涩味的确切理论仍然缺乏。与口腔上皮细胞的相互作用以及三叉神经化学感受器和机械感受器的激活也揭示了一些酚类涩味机制，这补充了与唾液蛋白相互作用的不足机制。由于不同类型和结构的酚类化合物在一定规律下表现出不同的涩味阈值，因此酚类结构与感知涩味之间可能存在某些关系。另一方面，减少酚类涩味不良感知的新方法也在不断涌现，但相应的总结仍然很少。因此，本综述旨在：（a）说明酚类化合物引起涩味的可能机制，（b）揭示酚类结构与涩味感知之间可能存在的关系，以及（c）总结酚类化合物引起涩味的新兴缓解方法。这篇全面的综述对理解酚类涩味和未来研究中寻找适当的酚类涩味缓解方法都具有重要价值。
