Understanding food properties is paramount for enhancing features such as appearance, taste and texture, for improving health-related factors such as minimizing the onset of allergies or improving the digestibility of nutrients, and for preserving food and extending its shelf-life. This Review discusses the challenges and opportunities offered by analysing foods as soft condensed matter systems. Emphasis is placed on the three main macronutrients constituting the main building blocks of foods: polysaccharides, proteins and lipids. Similarities and differences with synthetic polymers, colloids and surfactants are described. This Review also discusses the lessons that can be learned from soft matter approaches and the extent of their applicability to real foods.

了解食物特性对于增强外观，味道和质地等功能，改善与​​健康相关的因素（例如使过敏发作最小化或改善营养物质的消化率），保存食物并延长其保质期至关重要。这篇评论讨论了将食品分析为软凝物系统所带来的挑战和机遇。重点放在构成食物主要组成部分的三种主要常量营养素上：多糖，蛋白质和脂质。描述了与合成聚合物，胶体和表面活性剂的异同。本评论还讨论了可以从软物质方法中汲取的教训及其在实际食品中的适用范围。