Food Composition and Dedicated Databases: Key Tools for Human Health and Public Nutrition

To better understand nutrition, food chemistry, and medicine, it is important to investigate biologically active constituents, which requires a detailed knowledge and coverage of the composition of compounds of nutritional and nutraceutical character [...]

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Development of a food composition database for the estimation of dietary intakes of glucosinolates, the biologically active constituents of cruciferous vegetables

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1079/bjn2003917 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 90 (3) ◽

pp. 687-697 ◽

Cited By ~ 108

Author(s):

S. A. McNaughton ◽

G. C. Marks

Keyword(s):

Dietary Exposure ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Food Composition ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Glucosinolate Content ◽

Cruciferous Vegetables ◽

Dietary Intakes ◽

Active Constituents ◽

Food Composition Data

Evidence indicates that cruciferous vegetables are protective against a range of cancers with glucosinolates and their breakdown products considered the biologically active constituents. To date, epidemiological studies have not investigated the intakes of these constituents due to a lack of food composition databases. The aim of the present study was to develop a database for the glucosinolate content of cruciferous vegetables that can be used to quantify dietary exposure for use in epidemiological studies of diet–disease relationships. Published food composition data sources for the glucosinolate content of cruciferous vegetables were identified and assessed for data quality using established criteria. Adequate data for the total glucosinolate content were available from eighteen published studies providing 140 estimates for forty-two items. The highest glucosinolate values were for cress (389 mg/100 g) while the lowest values were for Pe-tsai chinese cabbage (20 mg/100 g). There is considerable variation in the values reported for the same vegetable by different studies, with a median difference between the minimum and maximum values of 5·8-fold. Limited analysis of cooked cruciferous vegetables has been conducted; however, the available data show that average losses during cooking are approximately 36 %. This is the first attempt to collate the available literature on the glucosinolate content of cruciferous vegetables. These data will allow quantification of intakes of the glucosinolates, which can be used in epidemiological studies to investigate the role of cruciferous vegetables in cancer aetiology and prevention.

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Uncovering Prospective Role and Applications of Existing and New Nutraceuticals from Bacterial, Fungal, Algal and Cyanobacterial, and Plant Sources

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13073671 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (7) ◽

pp. 3671

Author(s):

Jameel R. Al-Obaidi ◽

Khalid H. Alobaidi ◽

Bilal Salim Al-Taie ◽

David Hong-Sheng Wee ◽

Hasnain Hussain ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Health ◽

Well Being ◽

Vital Role ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Future Perspective ◽

The Public ◽

Biological Sources ◽

Pharmaceutical Properties ◽

Plant Sources ◽

Health And Well Being

Nutraceuticals are a category of products more often associated with food but having pharmaceuticals property and characteristics. However, there is still no internationally accepted concept of these food-pharmaceutical properties, and their interpretation can differ from country to country. Nutraceuticals are used as part of dietary supplements in most countries. They can be phytochemicals which are biologically active and have health benefits. These can be supplied as a supplement and/or as a functional food to the customer. For human health and longevity, these materials are likely to play a vital role. Consumption of these items is typical without a therapeutic prescription and/or supervision by the vast majority of the public. The development of nutraceuticals can be achieved through many bioresources and organisms. This review article will discuss the current research on nutraceuticals from different biological sources and their potential use as an agent for improving human health and well-being, as well as the gaps and future perspective of research related to nutraceutical development.

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Folate in Red Rhapsody Strawberry—Content and Storage Stability.

Proceedings ◽

10.3390/foods_2020-07670 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 70 (1) ◽

pp. 47

Author(s):

Julius Rami ◽

Caroline Dumler ◽

Nadine Weber ◽

Michael Rychlik ◽

Gabriele Netzel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Storage Stability ◽

Active Form ◽

Food Composition ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Stable Isotope Dilution ◽

Isotope Dilution Assay ◽

C Storage ◽

Vitamin B9 ◽

Adults And Children ◽

And Storage

Folate (Vitamin B9) is critical for a range of biological functions in adults and children, including DNA, protein and neurotransmitter synthesis. It is also essential for the healthy development of the fetus in early pregnancy and for the prevention of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Strawberries are considered a tasty and healthy fruit consumed all over the world and may potentially be an important dietary source of natural folates. However, the relative importance of strawberry as a dietary source will depend on the total folate concentration, vitamer profile, storage stability and bioavailability to humans. Red Rhapsody, an important commercial strawberry cultivar in Australia, was screened for its folate content and storage stability by stable isotope dilution assay (SIDA). Total folate content ranged from 90–118 μg/100 g fresh weight (fw), which was well above the value in the Australian Food Composition Database (39 μg/100 g fw). 5-Methyltetrahydrofolate, the biologically active form in humans, was the principal vitamer present. Furthermore, folate remained relatively stable during refrigerated (4 °C) storage (loss of only 28% after 14 days of storage). This information is relevant for consumers since the inherent perishability of strawberry fruit makes refrigerated storage common practice in Australian households.

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Additional Biologically Active Constituents of the Chinese Tallow Tree (Sapium sebiferum)

Journal of Natural Products ◽

10.1021/np50057a037 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 51 (3) ◽

pp. 619-620 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Sheng-Quan Liu ◽

John M. Pezzuto ◽

A. Douglas Kinghorn ◽

H. W. Scheld

Keyword(s):

Biologically Active ◽

Sapium Sebiferum ◽

Chinese Tallow Tree ◽

Chinese Tallow ◽

Active Constituents ◽

Tallow Tree

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The biologically active constituents of Ganoderma lucidum (Fr.) Karst. Histamine release-inhibitory triterpenes.

Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin ◽

10.1248/cpb.33.1367 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 33 (4) ◽

pp. 1367-1374 ◽

Cited By ~ 136

Author(s):

HIROSHI KOHDA ◽

WAKAKO TOKUMOTO ◽

KIYOE SAKAMOTO ◽

MICHIKO FUJII ◽

YUKO HIRAI ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Histamine Release ◽

Ganoderma Lucidum ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Active Constituents

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Preliminary Phytochemical screening of Persicaria sagittata: Future prospective for kidney stone

Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology ◽

10.52711/0974-360x.2021.00758 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 4367-4370

Author(s):

Ankita Sharma ◽

Ishita Ishita ◽

Inder Kumar ◽

Kritika Verma ◽

Bhumika Thakur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Uric Acid ◽

Medicinal Plant ◽

Kidney Stone ◽

Methanolic Extract ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Phytochemical Screening ◽

Secondary Product ◽

Standard Methods ◽

Active Constituents ◽

Uric Acid Stones

Medicinal plants have bioactive compounds, which are used to treatments of various diseases. In the present study, Persicaria sagittata medicinal plant was used for the preliminary phytochemical screening. Methanol and petroleum ether were used as a solvent for obtaining the extraction of the plant. Both the extracts were further study for qualitative phytochemical screening using standard methods. Phytochemical screening shows that methanolic extract possesses the presence of tannins, flavonoids, and vitamin A as tannins and flavonoids are helpful for the uric acid stones. The study reveals that medicinal plant provides a basis of its use in medicine, improve to further drugs in the pharmaceutical area, and contains different biologically active constituents, and the secondary product is valuable of further analysis.

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An Update on the Effects of Glyceollins on Human Health: Possible Anticancer Effects and Underlying Mechanisms

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11010079 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 79 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Thu Ha Pham ◽

Sylvain Lecomte ◽

Theo Efstathiou ◽

Francois Ferriere ◽

Farzad Pakdel

Keyword(s):

Signaling Pathways ◽

Human Health ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Receptor Protein ◽

Lipid Kinase ◽

New Family ◽

Anticancer Effects ◽

Underlying Mechanisms ◽

And Function

Biologically active plant-based compounds, commonly referred to as phytochemicals, can influence the expression and function of various receptors and transcription factors or signaling pathways that play vital roles in cellular functions and are then involved in human health and diseases. Thus, phytochemicals may have a great potential to prevent and treat chronic diseases. Glyceollins, a group of phytoalexins that are isolated from soybeans, have attracted attention because they exert numerous effects on human functions and diseases, notably anticancer effects. In this review, we have presented an update on the effects of glyceollins in relation to their potential beneficial roles in human health. Despite a growing number of studies suggesting that this new family of phytochemicals can be involved in critical cellular pathways, such as estrogen receptor, protein kinase, and lipid kinase signaling pathways, future investigations will be needed to better understand their molecular mechanisms and their specific significance in biomedical applications.

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Nutraceuticals in Human Health

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods9030370 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 370 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Alessandra Durazzo ◽

Massimo Lucarini ◽

Antonello Santini

Keyword(s):

Clinical Trials ◽

Health Status ◽

Human Health ◽

Biologically Active ◽

Bioactive Components ◽

Special Issue ◽

Concerted Action ◽

Beneficial Effects ◽

Wide Range ◽

Efficacy Studies

The combined and concerted action of nutrient and biologically active compounds is flagged as an indicator of a “possible beneficial role” for health. The use and applications of bioactive components cover a wide range of fields, in particular the nutraceuticals. In this context, the Special Issue entitled “Nutraceuticals in Human Health” is focused on the all aspects around the nutraceuticals, ranging from analytical aspects to clinical trials, from efficacy studies to beneficial effects on health status.

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