Abstract: The consumption of plant secondary metabolites-rich foods shows a positive effect on the regulation of human health. However, due to their poor solubility and chemical instability, the bioavailability of those secondary metabolites is usually low. The destruction of food composition caused by food processing is an important condition for the release of plant secondary metabolites, while food composition affects the absorption of plant secondary metabolites. In this review, we summarize the effects of different food components such as lipids and proteins as well as food processing methods such as thermal processing, mechanical processing and fermentation on the bioavailability of plant secondary metabolites. We expect that this review will provide a theoretical basis for improving the bioavailability of plant secondary metabolites in the daily diet.

Key words: plant secondary metabolites; food composition; food processing; bioavailability