Abstract: Plant polyphenols are plant-specific secondary metabolites, which mainly exist in the tissues and organs of plants such as fruits, roots, skins and leaves. Plant polyphenols have antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, anti-cancer activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-obesity and regulating hyperglycemia and blood lipids. Among them, the antibacterial effect of plant polyphenols has been widely used in food preservation, which has aroused the research interest of scholars in domestic and overseas, and has become a current research hotspot. Therefore, the physiological activity, antibacterial mechanism and application of plant polyphenols are summarized. And the future research directions of plant polyphenols are also predicted. It would provide certain reference value for the research and utilization of plant polyphenols.