As one of the six major nutrients in the human body,protein is widely present in various foods,while polyphenols are abundant in plants as secondary metabolites.Proteins and polyphenols produce'protein-polyphenol com-plexes'through covalent and non-covalent interactions,which mostly occur spontaneously in food and significantly affect the functional properties and quality of food.In this paper,the formation mechanism of protein-polyphenol complexes and the modern analysis and detection techniques and methods to characterize the interaction of the complexes were reviewed.Effects of protein-polyphenol complexes on their biological activities and their potential applications in emulsions,films,and delivery systems.The purpose was to provide a theoretical basis for the in-depth study of protein-polyphenol com-plexes,and to provide new ideas for the high-quality utilization and product development of proteins and polyphenols.