Interactions of Dietary Fibers and Polyphenols in Nutritional Science

Dietary fibres and polyphenols co‐occur in plant‐based foods and interact physically and chemically throughout processing, digestion and microbial fermentation. Fibre–polyphenol complexes range from weak non‐covalent assemblies to strong covalent conjugates within cell walls. These associations influence solubility, bioaccessibility and downstream bioactivity. Bound polyphenols evade absorption in the upper gastrointestinal tract, reaching the colon where they undergo microbial metabolism linked to short‐chain fatty acid production and bioactive phenolic metabolites. Conversely, soluble fibres alter the diffusion and release of free polyphenols, modulating their antioxidant potential and interactions with digestive enzymes. Technological approaches—such as encapsulation or controlled acid treatment—further tune fibre–polyphenol binding for targeted delivery and stability in functional foods. Current research highlights the global significance of these interactions for cardiometabolic health, gut microbial ecology and the design of nutraceuticals and food additives that harness both fibre and polyphenol functions.

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Interactions of Dietary Fibers and Polyphenols in Nutritional Science publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in interactions of dietary fibers and polyphenols in nutritional science across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Dietary fibre: Indigestible plant polysaccharides and associated compounds that resist digestion in the small intestine but may be fermented by gut microbes.

Polyphenol: A class of plant‐derived secondary metabolites characterised by multiple phenolic rings, noted for antioxidant and signalling activities.

Non-extractable polyphenols: Polyphenolic compounds covalently or non-covalently bound to cell-wall components, not recoverable by standard solvent extraction.

Adsorption isotherm: A mathematical model describing the equilibrium relationship between a solute’s concentration in solution and its adsorption onto a solid surface.

Gut microbiota: The complex community of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses residing in the gastrointestinal tract, instrumental in nutrient metabolism and immune modulation.

References

1. Procyanidin—Cell Wall Interactions within Apple Matrices Decrease the Metabolization of Procyanidins by the Human Gut Microbiota and the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of the Resulting Microbial Metabolome In Vitro. Nutrients (2019).
2. Adsorption between Quercetin Derivatives and β-Glucan Studied with a Novel Approach to Modeling Adsorption Isotherms. Applied Sciences (2020).
3. Polyphenol-Dietary Fiber Conjugates from Fruits and Vegetables: Nature and Biological Fate in a Food and Nutrition Perspective. Foods (2023).