Phenolic-driven sensory changes in functional foods

The functional food, bioactive ingredients and nutraceutical industries are focused primarily on developing and validating the bioactivity of their products. Furthermore, the scientific community is pretty much moving in the same direction. A quick search in the literature demonstrates that phenolic compounds are perhaps the most studied bioactive phytochemicals due to their myriad of health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In fact, due to their role in preventing cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and enzyme inhibition in connection with type 2 diabetes and obesity, phenolic compounds are gaining attention of the industry. However, many phenolic compounds can influence the sensory characteristics of the final product and hence consumer acceptance must be considered. Therefore, in this contribution we summarize the potential sensory effects of phenolic compounds by focusing on their structuctural features.