Plant polyphenol occurrence

Pietta, P., Minoggio, M., and Bramati, L., Plant polyphenols structure, occurrence and bioactivity, Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, 28 (Bioactive Natural Products (Part I)), Elsevier Science Publishers, Amsterdam, 257, 2003. 

Polyphenolic phytochemicals are ubiquitous in the plant kingdom. These important aromatic secondary metabolites of plants are consumed in significant amounts in daily life. Their occurrence among plant-based materials is frequently varied. They contribute to sensory qualities such as color, flavor, and taste of plant-based materials. The composition of polyphenolic phytochemicals is influenced by maturity, cultivar (Lee and Jaworski, 1987), cultural practices, geographic origin, climatic... 

The conversion of animal hides into leather by treatment with water-soluble plant extractives has been practiced since antiquity. This process became known as tanning and obviously involved the reaction of a naturally occurring extractive, tannin, with the protein in the hide. We now know, of course, that tannins comprise a whole spectrum of chemical compounds, but generally they are polyphenolic and polymeric. Tannins have been isolated from a wide variety of raw materials, including insect galls, fruit skins, seed hulls, leaves, bark, and heartwood. Indeed, tannins are of nearly ubiquitous occurrence in higher orders... 

In this chapter an attempt has been made to discuss the methods available for the isolation and analysis of higher plant cell walls. Because the structures and properties of the cell wall polymers from various tissue tyjDes show considerable differences, it is emphasized that, where possible, separation of the tissues in a plant organ prior to preparation of the cell walls is desirable. Attention is drawn to the problems associated with coprecipitation of intracellular compounds with cell wall polymers, particularly in view of the occurrence of small amounts of proteoglycan and proteoglycan-polyphenol complexes in the walls and the covalent attachment of phenolics and phenolic esters with some of the cell wall polymers of parenchymatous and suspension-cultured tissues. The preparation of gram quantities of relatively pure cell walls from starch- and protein-rich tissues is discussed at some length because of the importance of dietary fiber in human nutrition and an understanding of the composition, structure, and properties of dietary fiber would be hampered without such methods (Selvendran, 1984). 

About 80 lactones have been identified in tobacco smoke. These compounds, especially they-butyrolactones, andothers, have alkylating potential and some have been reported to be carcinogenic in laboratory animals [Lawley (6A12)]. [see also Appendix 2, pp. 387-394) in (1870)]. Quantitatively, about half the lactones in the smoke consist of y-butyrolactone [lARC (6A10)] (about 10 pg/cigarette) and its derivatives 5-valerolactone and some alkylated and unsaturated 5-valerolactones, as well as coumarin [see pp. 427-430 in Wynder and Hoffmann (4332)], 6-methylcoumarin, and 3,4-dihydrocoumarin have also been isolated [Schumacher et al. (3553)]. The occurrence of coumarin derivatives in smoke could be due to pyrolysis of polyphenols with a coumarin structure. .. or of plant extracts added to tobacco to enhance flavour [see pp. 427-430 in Wynder and Hoffmann (4332)]. Coumarin itself is carcinogenic to rats after oral administration [lARC (6A10)]. 

Crozier, A., Jaganath, I.B., and M.N.C. 2006. Phenols, polyphenols and tannins an overview. In Plant secondary metabolites occurrence, structure and role in the human diet. Wiley-Black-well, Oxford U.K., 1-24. 

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