Bridging food processing and human health: Bioavailability enhancement and redox-based modulation of...

Proanthocyanidins are a widely distributed class of natural polyphenols that have shown considerable potential in food nutritional fortification, foodborne hazard control, and chronic disease intervention owing to their pronounced antioxidant, antiglycation, and other biological activities. However, their structural instability and limited bioavailability in vivo substantially constrain the extent to which these bioactivities can be realized. Moreover, existing studies have largely focused on individual stages of the proanthocyanidin life cycle, with insufficient attention paid to the interactions and mechanistic links among these stages. This review adopts redox regulation as an overarching framework to systematically examine the ability of proanthocyanidins to inhibit foodborne hazard formation in food processing systems and to characterize processing-induced structural transformations. The subsequent gastrointestinal release, cellular uptake, systemic distribution, and metabolic fate of proanthocyanidins are further traced, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms by which proanthocyanidins mitigate the toxicity of foodborne hazards and alleviate oxidative stress-related diseases. The current state of proanthocyanidin applications is then summarized, and the prospects for applying artificial intelligence to proanthocyanidin acquisition and product development are discussed. This review aims to advance the understanding of the interrelationships among proanthocyanidin structural transformation, bioavailability, and functional effects, thereby providing a theoretical basis for their efficient development, precision application, and translation into industrial products.