Beyond Polysaccharides: Multifunctional Roles of Plant-Derived Conjugates in Sensory Enhancement and Food Quality Improvement.

In plant-based foods, polysaccharides rarely exist in isolation. During plant growth, processing, and storage, they can bind to or associate with proteins, polyphenols, lipids, metal ions, and small molecules via covalent or non-covalent interactions, forming plant-derived polysaccharide conjugates (PPCs). These conjugates play important roles in determining food structure, sensory attributes, and nutritional functionality. Although many studies have focused on purified polysaccharides or model biopolymer systems, naturally occurring PPCs in plant-based foods and their multifunctional roles remain insufficiently explored. This review discusses PPCs formed within plant tissues or generated during food processing, summarizing their major types, structural features, and formation pathways, and highlighting how conjugation modulates conformation, charge distribution, hydration, and self-assembly. Particular attention is given to their roles in regulating color stability, aroma generation and retention, taste perception (including bitterness masking and astringency reduction), and texture formation in foods such as wines, yogurts, low-fat creams, plant-based meat analogs, and active packaging films. In addition, their contributions to oxidative stability, gut microbiota modulation, glycemic response, and antitumor potential are discussed from a food science perspective. Finally, current analytical challenges, regulatory considerations, and technological limitations that hinder scale-up and industrial application are critically evaluated. By linking PPC structure with effects on taste, nutrition, and processing behavior, this review highlights their potential for developing foods that are healthier, more stable, and more palatable.