Phenolic compounds in plants and agri-industrial by-products: Antioxidant activity, occurrence, and potential uses

The antioxidant activity of pomegranate juices was evaluated by four different methods (ABTS, DPPH, DMPD, and FRAP) and compared to those of red wine and a green tea infusion. Commercial pomegranate juices showed an antioxidant activity (18-20 TEAC) three times higher than those of red wine and green tea (6-8 TEAC). The activity was higher in commercial juices extracted from whole pomegranates than in experimental juices obtained from the arils only (12-14 TEAC). HPLC-DAD and HPLC-MS analyses of the juices revealed that commercial juices contained the pomegranate tannin punicalagin (1500-1900 mg/L) while only traces of this compound were detected in the experimental juice obtained from arils in the laboratory. This shows that pomegranate industrial processing extracts some of the hydrolyzable tannins present in the fruit rind. This could account for the higher antioxidant activity of commercial juices compared to the experimental ones. In addition, anthocyanins, ellagic acid derivatives, and hydrolyzable tannins were detected and quantified in the pomegranate juices.

http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/datastore/234-60.pdf

Antioxidant activity of pomegranate juice and its relationship with phenolic composition and processing

Phenolics and polyphenolics in foods, beverages and spices: Antioxidant activity and health effects – A review

Tannins (commonly referred to as tannic acid) are water-soluble polyphenols that are present in many plant foods. They have been reported to be responsible for decreases in feed intake, growth rate, feed efficiency, net metabolizable energy, and protein digestibility in experimental animals. Therefore, foods rich in tannins are considered to be of low nutritional value. However, recent findings indicate that the major effect of tannins was not due to their inhibition on food consumption or digestion but rather the decreased efficiency in converting the absorbed nutrients to new body substances. Incidences of certain cancers, such as esophageal cancer, have been reported to be related to consumption of tannins-rich foods such as betel nuts and herbal teas, suggesting that tannins might be carcinogenic. However, other reports indicated that the carcinogenic activity of tannins might be related to components associated with tannins rather than tannins themselves. Interestingly, many reports indicated negative association between tea consumption and incidences of cancers. Tea polyphenols and many tannin components were suggested to be anticarcinogenic. Many tannin molecules have also been shown to reduce the mutagenic activity of a number of mutagens. Many carcinogens and/or mutagens produce oxygen-free radicals for interaction with cellular macromolecules. The anticarcinogenic and antimutagenic potentials of tannins may be related to their antioxidative property, which is important in protecting cellular oxidative damage, including lipid peroxidation. The generation of superoxide radicals was reported to be inhibited by tannins and related compounds. The antimicrobial activities of tannins are well documented. The growth of many fungi, yeasts, bacteria, and viruses was inhibited by tannins. We have also found that tannic acid and propyl gallate, but not gallic acid, were inhibitory to foodborne bacteria, aquatic bacteria, and off-flavor-producing microorganisms. Their antimicrobial properties seemed to be associated with the hydrolysis of ester linkage between gallic acid and polyols hydrolyzed after ripening of many edible fruits. Tannins in these fruits thus serve as a natural defense mechanism against microbial infections. The antimicrobial property of tannic acid can also be used in food processing to increase the shelf-life of certain foods, such as catfish fillets. Tannins have also been reported to exert other physiological effects, such as to accelerate blood clotting, reduce blood pressure, decrease the serum lipid level, produce liver necrosis, and modulate immunoresponses. The dosage and kind of tannins are critical to these effects. The aim of this review is to summarize and analyze the vast and sometimes conflicting literature on tannins and to provide as accurately as possible the needed information for assessment of the overall effects of tannins on human health.

Tannins and Human Health: A Review

Essential oils are aromatic and volatile liquids extracted from plants. The chemicals in essential oils are secondary metabolites, which play an important role in plant defense as they often possess antimicrobial properties. The interest in essential oils and their application in food preservation has been amplified in recent years by an increasingly negative consumer perception of synthetic preservatives. Furthermore, food-borne diseases are a growing public health problem worldwide, calling for more effective preservation strategies. The antibacterial properties of essential oils and their constituents have been documented extensively. Pioneering work has also elucidated the mode of action of a few essential oil constituents, but detailed knowledge about most of the compounds’ mode of action is still lacking. This knowledge is particularly important to predict their effect on different microorganisms, how they interact with food matrix components, and how they work in combination with other antimicrobial compounds. The main obstacle for using essential oil constituents as food preservatives is that they are most often not potent enough as single components, and they cause negative organoleptic effects when added in sufficient amounts to provide an antimicrobial effect. Exploiting synergies between several compounds has been suggested as a solution to this problem. However, little is known about which interactions lead to synergistic, additive, or antagonistic effects. Such knowledge could contribute to design of new and more potent antimicrobial blends, and to understand the interplay between the constituents of crude essential oils. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current knowledge about the antibacterial properties and antibacterial mode of action of essential oils and their constituents, and to identify research avenues that can facilitate implementation of essential oils as natural preservatives in foods.

/pdf/essential-oils-in-food-preservation-mode-of-action-synergies-26gwz54pww.pdf

Essential oils in food preservation: mode of action, synergies, and interactions with food matrix components.

During the formation of radical A (2) and its precursor (tris(2-deoxy-2-L-ascorbyl)amine, 1) by the reaction of dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) with amino acid, ascorbic acid (AsA) and the reduced red pigment (3) were newly identified, in addition to scorbamic acid (SCA) and the red pigment (4), as intermediate products. The addition of AsA to the DHA-amino acid reaction, as well as to the DHA-SCA reaction, greatly increased the formation of 3 and 1. The reaction of AsA with 4 gave rapidly 3, followed by the gradual production of 1. From these results, a reaction pathway is proposed that 3 formed by the reduction of 4 with AsA is a key intermediate and its condensation with DHA followed by reduction with AsA might produce 2 and 1.

Formation Mechanism of the Free Radical Product and Its Precursor by the Reaction of Dehydro-L-ascorbic Acid with Amino Acid

Deoxy sugars produced by ⋙-irradiation of hexoses in oxygen-free, áqueous solution

Several substances with antioxidant activity were isolated from the mixture of dehydroascorbic acid and tryptophan when reacted together in ethanol. One of the main antioxidant products was obtained in crystalline form from an n-butanol extract of the reaction mixture by means of Sephadex column chromatography followed by HPLC with a reversed phase column. 1H- and 13C-NMR of the product and its acetate showed its structure as a condensate of dehydroascorbic acid and tryptophan with each single molecule involving a C-spiro structure. By a POV test the activity of this substance was about two-thirds of that of BHA on a molar basis, and the activity of the reaction mixture is greatly attributable to this substance.

Isolation and identification of an antioxidant product from the reaction mixture of dehydroascorbic acid with tryptophan.

Studies on γ-Radiolysis of Sulfur Containing Amino Acids:Part I. γ-Radiolysis of S- n -Propyl-L-cysteine Sulfoxide and S-Allyl-L-cysteine Sulfoxide in Aqueous Solution

Storage of Indica (Oryza sativa L. cv. Katakutara) and Japonica (Oryza sativa L. cv. Kusabue) rice seeds at 30° and 40°C for 2 months in the dark did not result in the loss of viability in both cultivars. Storage at 60°C, however, resulted in a complete loss of germination after 45 days in the case of Kusabue while the Katakutara rice seeds retained the germination potential well above 95%. Corresponding increases in the linoleic acid content of the free fatty acid fraction and TBA values of the extracted lipid fraction were also observed in Kusabue rice seeds. The investigation indicated that the Indica rice seeds were better protected than the Japonica rice seeds by the enclosing rice hull during the storage period.

Mitsuo Namiki

Papers

Formation Mechanism of the Free Radical Product and Its Precursor by the Reaction of Dehydro-L-ascorbic Acid with Amino Acid

Deoxy sugars produced by ⋙-irradiation of hexoses in oxygen-free, áqueous solution

Isolation and identification of an antioxidant product from the reaction mixture of dehydroascorbic acid with tryptophan.

Studies on γ-Radiolysis of Sulfur Containing Amino Acids:Part I. γ-Radiolysis of S- n -Propyl-L-cysteine Sulfoxide and S-Allyl-L-cysteine Sulfoxide in Aqueous Solution

High Temperature Storage Effect on Longevity of Rice Seeds