The concept of food matrix has received much attention lately in reference to its effects on food processing, nutrition and health. However, the term matrix is used vaguely by food and nutrition scientists, often as synonymous of the food itself or its microstructure. This review analyses the concept of food matrix and proposes a classification for the major types of matrices found in foods. The food matrix may be viewed as a physical domain that contains and/or interacts with specific constituents of a food (e.g., a nutrient) providing functionalities and behaviors which are different from those exhibited by the components in isolation or a free state. The effect of the food matrix (FM-effect) is discussed in reference to food processing, oral processing and flavor perception, satiation and satiety, and digestion in the gastrointestinal tract. The FM-effect has also implications in nutrition, food allergies and food intolerances, and in the quality and relevance of results of analytical techniques. The role of the food matrix in the design of healthy foods is also discussed.

中文翻译：

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食物矩阵：对加工，营养和健康的影响

关于食物基质对食物加工，营养和健康的影响，近来受到了广泛的关注。但是，食品和营养科学家对矩阵一词的含糊不清，通常是食品本身或其微观结构的代名词。这篇综述分析了食物基质的概念，并提出了对食物中主要基质类型的分类。食物基质可以被视为包含食物（例如营养素）的特定成分和/或与其相互作用的物理区域，其提供的功能和行为与孤立或游离状态下的成分所呈现的功能和行为不同。参考食品加工，口服加工和风味感知，饱腹感和胃肠道消化，讨论了食品基质的作用（FM效应）。FM效应还对营养，食物过敏和食物不耐受性以及分析技术结果的质量和相关性产生影响。还讨论了食品基质在健康食品设计中的作用。