Recently, the Food Nutrition and Functional Foods Innovation Team at the Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), systematically elucidated protein–flavor interactions within plant protein food matrices. The related research finding has published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety (JCR Q1, Impact Factor 14.1). Xinran Dai, a 2024 PhD Student, is the first author. Prof. Fengzhong Wang and Prof. Liya Liu serve as corresponding authors.

Plant-based diets have gained increasing attention due to their advantages in health promotion, environmental sustainability, and ethical considerations, thereby driving rapid growth in the demand for plant protein foods. However, their characteristic flavor profiles are undesirable, such as “beany” notes, which has constrained consumer acceptance. The underlying cause lies in the complex interactions between plant proteins and flavor compounds. Although previous studies have investigated individual protein–flavor interaction mechanisms, a systematic understanding of multi-interaction mechanisms and controllable modulation strategies remains limited.

This review comprehensively summarizes recent advances of plant protein–flavor interactions at the molecular, physicochemical, and sensory levels. It systematically outlines the structural and functional diversity of plant proteins from different sources and categorizes interaction modes with flavor compounds. Furthermore, the intrinsic factors and external conditions influencing these interactions, as well as their regulatory mechanisms are thoroughly analyzed. The review also discusses quantitative analytical approaches, including the Scatchard and Hill equations, QSAR models, and molecular docking. The study highlights the “dual effects” of plant protein–flavor interactions and emphasis the modulation strategies such as enzymatic modification, microencapsulation, and protein structural design based on computational simulations. Based on this, interdisciplinary research integrating sensory physiology, computational modeling, and structural bioengineering will provide critical theoretical foundations and technical support for the development of plant protein foods with authentic flavor profiles, enhanced stability, and greater consumer appeal.

The work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFE0107000), National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFF1102100), and Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region “Tianchi Talent” Training Plan Project (2023, 2025).

Article link: https: //doi.org/10.1111/1541-4337.70318