Chr Hansen and Norrmejerier form partnership to increase polyphenol production
Filed Under News October 31, 2007
Ingredients developer Chr Hansen and Swedish dairy company Norrmejerier have formed a partnership to improve and increase the production of polyphenols for food and drink applications and for dietary supplements.
Polyphenols, found in natural foods such as cocoa, nuts, teas and berries are said to have various health benefits because they act as antioxidants, protecting cells and body chemicals against damage.
The two companies, which have so far only had a supplier, customer relationship, say the collaboration will add value to their operations in beverage production and ingredients development respectively.
Combination therapy of statin with flavonoids rich extract from chokeberry fruits enhanced reduction in cardiovascular risk markers in patients after myocardial infraction (MI)
Filed Under News October 26, 2007
Recent studies have shown, that chronic flavonoids treatment improves vascular function and cardiovascular remodeling by decreasing superoxide anion production as well as by increasing NO realize from endothelial cells. A progressive decrease in systolic blood pressure and reduction of low-density lipoprotein oxidation (Ox-LDL) has also been reported…Conclusion: In view of the fact that chokeberry flavonoids reduce the severity of inflammation, regardless of statins, they can be used clinically for secondary prevention of ischaemic heart disease.
Effects of dietary flavonoids on apoptotic pathways related to cancer chemoprevention
Filed Under News October 26, 2007
Epidemiological studies have described the beneficial effects of dietary polyphenols (flavonoids) on the reduction of the risk of chronic diseases, including cancer. Moreover, it has been shown that flavonoids, such as quercetin in apples, epigallocatechin-3-gallate in green tea and genistein in soya, induce apoptosis. This programmed cell death plays a critical role in physiological functions, but there is underlying dysregulation of apoptosis in numerous pathological situations such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. At the molecular level, flavonoids have been reported to modulate a number of key elements in cellular signal transduction pathways linked to the apoptotic process (caspases and bcl-2 genes), but that regulation and induction of apoptosis are unclear. The aim of this review is to provide insights into the molecular basis of the potential chemopreventive activities of representative flavonoids, with emphasis on their ability to control intracellular signaling cascades responsible for regulating apoptosis, a relevant target in cancer-preventive approach.
Kenyan Antioxidant Tea Extracts
Filed Under News October 25, 2007
Researchers are homing in on tea extracts in their quest to boost earnings from the leaf, which supports about 500,000 peasant farmers and their families.
The search for alternative tea products is being spearheaded by the Tea Research Foundation and is expected to lead to alternative tea based products. Already, extracts with special chemical properties are being used as supplements in manufacturing industries.
According to Ms Lilian Kerio, a biologist at the research centre, falling prices of tea have necessitated research into alternative tea products which are more convenient to use and with acceptable health benefits.
The research aims at extracting tea antioxidants or polyphenols from black and green tea. These are used in the production of supplements for other industries.
Some studies carried out earlier by the research organization demonstrated that processed Kenyan tea has higher concentrations of antioxidants than green tea produced in Japan and China and therefore potentially more effective.
According to Ms Kerio, other tea products that could also be extracted from green leaf or even black teas include catechins concentrates, anthocyanin concentrates, amino acid concentrates, polysaccharide extracts, theanine extracts and saponins.
Once extracted, these can be sold as food additives to food industries as substitutes for the artificial food additives, which have turned out to be health hazards to humans as they are potentially cancer causing.
The tea extracts can also be used in manufacture of body care and beauty products, cleaning and deodorizing agents, confectioneries, wines and liquors and heavy industrial cleaning agents.
They could also be used locally in the preservation of ready-to-drink tea brews, natural pyrethrum or fish products.
Some of the teas under research are Anthocyanin rich black and green tea, Catechin rich black and green tea, Theanine rich black and green tea and Gamma Aminobutyric acid (GABA) which are all of high pharmacological value.
Vitamin C
Filed Under News October 22, 2007
In 18th century, sailors accidentally discovered that by sucking on lemons they could prevent scurvy. This disease often develops during long voyages when supplies of fresh fruits and vegetables are not available. In 1928, the key nutrient of lemon was discovered and named ascorbic acid because of its capacity to fight scurvy or antiscorbutic action which is another name for Vitamin C.
Vitamin C provides a number of health benefits to the human body
Antioxidant Comparison
Filed Under News October 22, 2007
An antioxidant comparison of some of the most common fruits found that the little red berry in its pure form contained the highest quantity of disease-fighting phenols. Phenols are a type of antioxidant that is thought to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease.
This antioxidant comparison study appeared in the November 19 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. It was also published earlier in the Web edition of the journal on October 3.
About the Antioxidant Comparison Study
The antioxidant comparison study represents the most comprehensive investigation to date of the quantity and quality of antioxidants in fruits. This is what lead researcher Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a chemist with the University of Scranton in Scranton, Penn., said.
In the antioxidant comparison study, Vinson picked 19 fruits that are commonly consumed in the American diet. For the purposes of antioxidant comparison, he then measured the total phenol content in each fruit and came up with cranberries as having the highest phenol content gram for gram. On the basis of serving size, cranberries also ranked first in the antioxidant comparison chart.
“Cranberries are one of the healthiest fruits. I think that people should eat more of them,” says Vinson. “Although researchers have known for years that cranberries are high in antioxidants, detailed data on their phenol content in comparison to other fruits was unavailable until now.”
To further their antioxidant comparison study and investigate the effects of high antioxidant content on animal cells, Vinson and his associates are now conducting animal studies. They want to determine if the high antioxidant levels of cranberries protect against the development of some of the more serious chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis is a condition that can lead to heart attacks and strokes.
The researchers working with Vinson also included in their plan the eventual study on antioxidant comparison with humans to determine if supplements of the fruit would offer heart protection.
Riboflavin vitamin B2
Filed Under News October 22, 2007
In 1879, scientists found a yellow-green fluorescent pigment in a milk sample. 50 years later, the compound was isolated and identified as riboflavin (vitamin B2). Commonly referred to as the B-complex, this vitamin play an essential role in converting protein, fats and carbohydrates into the energy that the body demand for growth an development.
DNA repair and metabolic genes in response to a flavonoid rich diet
Filed Under News October 13, 2007
A diet rich in fruit and vegetables can be effective in the reduction of oxidative stress, through the antioxidant effects of phytochemicals and other mechanisms. Protection against the carcinogenic effects of chemicals may also be exerted by an enhancement of detoxification and DNA damage repair mechanisms. To investigate a putative effect of flavonoids, a class of polyphenols, on the regulation of the gene expression of DNA repair and metabolic genes, a 1-month flavonoid-rich diet was administered to thirty healthy male smokers, nine of whom underwent gene expression analysis. We postulated that tobacco smoke is a powerful source of reactive oxygen species. The expression level of twelve genes (APEX, ERCC1, ERCC2, ERCC4, MGMT, OGG1, XPA, XPC, XRCC1, XRCC3, AHR, CYP1A1) was investigated. We found a significant increase (P < 0.001) in flavonoid intake. Urinary phenolic content and anti-mutagenicity did not significantly change after diet, nor was a correlation found between flavonoid intake and urinary phenolic levels or anti-mutagenicity. Phenolic levels showed a significant positive correlation with urinary anti-mutagenicity. AHR levels were significantly reduced after the diet (P = 0.038), whereas the other genes showed a generalized up regulation, significant for XRCC3 gene (P = 0.038). Also in the context of a generalized up regulation of DNA repair genes, we found a non-significant negative correlation between flavonoid intake and the expression of all the DNA repair genes. Larger studies are needed to clarify the possible effects of flavonoids in vivo; our preliminary results could help to better plan new studies on gene expression and diet.
Cocoa antioxidants exceed that of tea and red wine
Filed Under News October 6, 2007
In a recent study published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it was reported that phenolic and flavonoid contents and total antioxidant capacities in cocoa far exceed that of black or green tea, and red wine.
Cocoa has nearly two times the antioxidants of red wine, two to three times that of green tea, and four to five times that of black tea. The study used teabags of 2g of tea, two tablespoons of pure cocoa powder, both mixed with a cup of hot water, and the wine chosen was 140 ml of a California Merlot. And, hot cocoa, the study revealed, releases more antioxidants than cold cocoa.
That translates to antioxidant levels as follows: cocoa has 611 mg of gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564 mg of epicatechin equivalents (ECE) of flavonoids per serving in comparison to black tea (124 mg of GAE and 34 mg of ECE) or green tea (165 mg of GAE and 47 mg of ECE, while wine has greater quantities than tea, (340 mg of GAE and 163 mg of ECE.)
