Phenolics in Food and Nutraceuticals is the first single-source compendium of essential information concerning food phenolics. This unique book reports the classification and nomenclature of phenolics, their occurrence in food and nutraceuticals, chemistry and applications, and nutritional and health effects. In addition, it describes antioxidant activity of phenolics in food and nutraceuticals as well as methods for analysis and quantification. Each chapter concludes with an extensive bibliography for further reading. Food scientists, nutritionists, chemists, biochemists, and health professionals will find this book valuable.

Phenolics in food and nutraceuticals

Proanthocyanidins (syn condensed tannins) are complex flavonoid polymers naturally present in cereals, legume seeds and particularly abundant in some fruits and fruit juices. They share some common structural features—phenolic nature and high molecular weight—with phenolic polymers found in black tea and red wine (called here tannin-like compounds). The polymeric nature of proanthocyanidins makes their analysis and estimation in food difficult. For this reason, little is known about their consumption, although they likely contribute a large part of the daily polyphenol intake. They also share common physicochemical properties: they form stable complexes with metal ions and with proteins and are, like other polyphenols, good reducing agents. Many of their biological effects of nutritional interest derive from these properties. As metal ion chelators, they influence the bioavailability of several minerals. The nutritional significance of the non-specific complexation of proteins is less clear. As reducing agents, they may participate in the prevention of cancers, both of the digestive tract and inner organs. They may also protect LDLs against oxidation and inhibit platelet aggregation and therefore prevent cardiovascular diseases. In vitro, animal and human studies on the prevention of these chronic diseases are reviewed with particular attention to wine and tea polyphenols. The lack of data on their bioavailability and the paucity of human studies are emphasised.

© 2000 Society of Chemical Industry

Proanthocyanidins and tannin-like compounds – nature, occurrence, dietary intake and effects on nutrition and health

The Families of the Monocotyledons

Tannins make up a significant portion of forest carbon pools and foliage and bark may contain up to 40% tannin. Like many other plant secondary compounds, tannins were believed to function primarily as herbivore deterrents. However, recent evidence casts doubts on their universal effectiveness against herbivory. Alternatively, tannins may play an important role in plant–plant and plant–litter–soil interactions. The convergent evolution of tannin-rich plant communities on highly acidic and infertile soils throughout the world, and the intraspecific variation in tannin concentrations along edaphic gradients suggests that tannins can affect nutrient cycles. This paper reviews nutrient dynamics in forest ecosystems in relation to tannins. Tannins comprise a complex class of organic compounds whose concentration and chemistry differ greatly both among and within plant species. Because the function and reactivity of tannins are strongly controlled by their chemical structure, the effects of tannins on forest ecosystem processes are expected to vary widely. Tannins can affect nutrient cycling by hindering decomposition rates, complexing proteins, inducing toxicity to microbial populations and inhibiting enzyme activities. As a result, tannins may reduce nutrient losses in infertile ecosystems and may alter N cycling to enhance the level of organic versus mineral N forms. The ecological consequences of elevated tannin levels may include allelopathic responses, changes in soil quality and reduced ecosystem productivity. These effects may alter or control successional pathways. While a great deal of research has addressed tannins and their role in nutrient dynamics, there are many facets of tannin biogeochemistry that are not known. This lack of information hinders a complete synthesis of tannin effects on forest ecosystem processes and nutrient cycling. Areas of study that would help clarify the role of tannins in forest ecosystems include improved characterization and quantification techniques, enhanced understanding of structure-activity relationships, investigation of the fate of tannins in soil, further determination of the influence of environmental factors on plant tannin production and decomposition, and additional information on the effects of tannins on soil organisms.

Tannins in nutrient dynamics of forest ecosystems- a review

New methodology for measuring forage condensed tannin (CT) content is described and the effects of CT upon forage feeding and nutritive value for ruminant animals are reviewed. CT react with forage proteins in a pH-reversible manner, with reactivity determined by the concentration, structure and molecular mass of the CT. Increasing concentrations of CT in Lotus corniculatus and Lotus pedunculatus reduce the rates of solubilization and degradation of fraction 1 leaf protein in the rumen and increase duodenal non-NH3 N flow. Action of medium concentrations of total CT in Lotus corniculatus (30-40 g/kg DM) increased the absorption of essential amino acids from the small intestine and increased wool growth, milk secretion and reproductive rate in grazing sheep without affecting voluntary feed intake, thus improving the efficiency of food conversion. High concentrations of CT in Lotus pedunculatus (75-100 g/kg DM) depressed voluntary feed intake and rumen carbohydrate digestion and depressed rates of body and wool growth in grazing sheep. The minimum concentration of CT to prevent rumen frothy bloat in cattle is defined as 5 g/kg DM and sheep grazing CT-containing legumes were shown to better tolerate internal parasite infections than sheep grazing non CT-containing forages. It was concluded that defined concentrations of forage CT can be used to increase the efficiencies of protein digestion and animal productivity in forage-fed ruminants and to develop more ecologically sustainable systems of controlling some diseases under grazing.

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The implications of condensed tannins on the nutritive value of temperate forages fed to ruminants.

High-resolution 13C NMR spectra of some proanthocyanidin polymers are presented. They were measured in acetone-d6-water (1:1, v/v) solution at 30 °C and at 62.5 MHz. The chemical shifts of selected resonances in these spectra were compared with those of structurally related monomers and oligomers. These comparisons enable certain deductions to be made regarding the stereochemistry and mode of linkage of the constituent flavanoid monomer units of these polymers.

High-resolution 13C NMR studies of proanthocyanidin polymers (condensed tannins)

Proanthocyanidin polymers of fodder legumes

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Sequencing procyanidin oligomers by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Comparisons of acid- and base-catalysed reactions of epicatechin-(4β)-phenyl sulphide and leucocyanidin show that condensations proceed more rapidly at alkaline than at acidic pH so the biosynthesis of condensed tannins may occur through a quinone methide rather than a carbocation intermediate.

Condensed tannins: quinone methide intermediates in procyanidin synthesis

The reaction of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) bark tannins with sodium hydrogen sulphite gave sodium epicatechin-(4β)-sulphonate (1) and sodium epicatechin-(4β→ 8)-epicatechin-(4β)-sulphonate (2) in high yield with only a minor amount of sodium 1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenys)-2-hydroxy-3-(2,4,6-trihdroxyphenyl)-propane-1-sulphonate (3).

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L. Yeap Foo

Papers

High-resolution 13C NMR studies of proanthocyanidin polymers (condensed tannins)

Proanthocyanidin polymers of fodder legumes

Sequencing procyanidin oligomers by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry

Condensed tannins: quinone methide intermediates in procyanidin synthesis

Condensed tannins: preferential substitution at the interflavanoid bond by sulphite ion