Background

The rising number of people living with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, along with the widespread demand for healthier foods have posed significant challenges to the food industry. Plant-based foods, beyond simple nutrition, can provide health-benefiting functionalities within the complex environment of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Biomimetics is defined as taking inspirations from nature to solve problems. Biomimetic plant foods (BPFs) can offer solutions for the future with the design of nature-inspired food structures for improved health and well-being.

Scope and approach

This review provides an insight into the assembly of plant food structures and their disassembly in the human GI tract. Their role in controlling the digestive fate of nutrients is elucidated. Recent developments and future perspectives on designing BPFs are also presented and discussed.

Key findings and conclusions

Plant foods in nature possess hierarchically self-assembled structures. During processing and GI digestion, these structures are disassembled to enable liberation and assimilation of nutrients and bioactive molecules contained within the food matrix. The assembly and disassembly are linked to a hierarchy of structure in plants within which different levels (molecule, polymer, cell wall, cell, tissue, organ) and their interactions can modulate nutrient bioaccessibility and digestion. Inspired by nature, BPFs can be engineered to deliver in-body functionality. The emerging trend of biomimetics will potentially pave the way for the future of food.

中文翻译：

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仿生植物食品：结构设计和功能

背景

患有糖尿病和心血管疾病等慢性病的人数不断增加，对健康食品的广泛需求给食品行业带来了巨大挑战。除了简单的营养外，植物性食品还可在人体胃肠道（GI）的复杂环境中提供有益健康的功能。仿生被定义为从自然界中汲取灵感来解决问题。仿生植物食品（BPF）可以通过设计灵感来自大自然的食品结构来改善健康和福祉，从而为未来提供解决方案。

范围和方法

这篇综述提供了对植物食物结构的组装及其在人类胃肠道中的分解的见解。阐明了它们在控制营养物质的消化命运中的作用。还介绍和讨论了设计BPF的最新进展和未来观点。

主要发现和结论

自然界中的植物性食物具有分层的自组装结构。在加工和胃肠道消化过程中，这些结构被分解以使食物基质中所含的营养物和生物活性分子得以释放和吸收。组装和拆卸与植物的结构层次相关，其中不同的水平（分子，聚合物，细胞壁，细胞，组织，器官）及其相互作用可以调节养分的生物利用度和消化率。受自然启发，BPF可以设计为提供体内功能。仿生食品的新兴趋势可能为食品的未来铺平道路。