Phenolic compounds are a group of metabolites that are ubiquitously distributed in most plant tissues. They are important components of plant-based foods because of their contribution to the taste, odor, aroma, and color of plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, cereal, whole grains, coffee, and tea. Moreover, epidemiological evidence suggests that diets rich in plant-based foods may reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as inflammation, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, and this effect has been attributed to bioactive components, particularly phenolic compounds present in these foods. However, in many countries, many plant-based foods are subjected to thermal treatment (e.g. stir-fried, braised, and roasted) before eating. Under thermal processing, phenolic compounds may go through thermal degradation and participate in complex reactions in food systems, such as Maillard reaction, lipid peroxidation, and caramelization reaction, etc. subsequently inducing different biological effects from what we are expecting.

This Research Topic aims to enhance research with the current state-of-the-art on chemical and biological changes of polyphenols caused by food thermal processing. It will cover but is not limited to the following areas:

(1) Effect of thermal treatment on phenolic profile of foods;

(2) Functional properties of phenolic compounds, such as improvement of food quality and prevention of chronic diseases, and the effect of thermal treatment on these functional properties;

(3) Inhibitory effects and mechanisms of phenolic compounds on the formation of food toxic compounds during food thermal processing;

(4) Interaction between polyphenols and other components in foods, and the effect of thermal treatment on such interactions;

(5) Effect of thermal treatment on the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of polyphenols;

(6) Identification and structural assignment of novel reaction products of polyphenols.

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Frontiers in Nutrition

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