The Effect of Flavonoid Consumption on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review

Hypertension is a common condition in which the long-term force of blood against artery walls is high enough to cause health problems, such as heart disease eventually. High blood pressure is known as the "silent killer". Most people with high blood pressure are unaware of the problem because it may not have any warning signs or symptoms. For this reason, it is essential to measure blood pressure regularly. A new study has shown that consuming foods rich in flavonoids can help patients with high blood pressure. This advantage of these compounds is due to their vasodilator properties. Flavonoids are a diverse group of biologically active polyphenol compounds found in plants and herbs. Regular consumption of flavonoids has cardioprotective effects and may reduce the onset or progression of many cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension. The article search was done in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases. The current body of evidence supports the ingestion of flavonoids for their beneficial effect on blood pressure. However, more significant research should further investigate the vascular moderating effects and the safety and acceptability of almond consumption.

Larvicidal activity of granulated pharmaceutical products using Indonesian holy basil leaf extract

<em>Ocimum sanctum</em> Linn, known as holy basil, is a larvicide, which is relatively safe compared to synthetic insecticides. This study investigates the larvicidal activity of a granule formulation of Indonesian holy basil leaf extract against third larval instar of <em>Aedes aegypti</em>. The extract of holy basil leaves was obtained by a maceration process with 96% ethanol. The granule was formulated with various concentrations of holy basil leaf extract, including F1 (2000 ppm), F2 (4000 ppm), and F3 (6000 ppm). The extract contained terpenoid, alkaloid, saponin, flavonoid, and polyphenol compounds. The extract granules had a moisture content of 3.01%, flowability of 1.51 seconds, and dispersion time of 1.09 seconds. The mortality rates of mosquitos treated with the different formulation groups were significantly different from positive control with values of 25.33% (F1), 50.67% (F2), and 90.67% (F3). In conclusion, the granulated formulation of holy basil leaf extract has a larvicidal LC₅₀ of 4405.803 ppm and LC₉₀ of 6080.714 ppm. Therefore, a granulated pharmaceutical product derived from holy basil leaf extract could be developed as a potent larvicide to control dengue fever.

Extraction and Nano-Sized Delivery Systems for Phlorotannins to Improve Its Bioavailability and Bioactivity

This review aims to provide an informative summary of studies on extraction and nanoencapsulation of phlorotannins to improve their bioavailability and bioactivity. The origin, structure, and different types of phlorotannins were briefly discussed, and the extraction/purification/characterization methods for phlorotannins were reviewed, with a focus on techniques to improve the bioactivities and bioavailability of phlorotannins via nano-sized delivery systems. Phlorotannins are promising natural polyphenol compounds that have displayed high bioactivities in several areas: anticancer, anti-inflammation, anti-HIV, antidiabetic, and antioxidant. This review aims to provide a useful reference for researchers working on developing better utilization strategies for phlorotannins as pharmaceuticals, therapeuticals, and functional food supplements.

Analysis of Catechins in Gambir West Sumatra

Gambir contains functional compounds that are included in the class of polyphenol compounds. The polyphenol compounds in gambir are mainly catechins, a natural substance that has antioxidant properties. The purpose of this study was to obtain catechin compounds from Gambir extract, to determine the solvent concentration and the right extraction temperature to obtain catechin compounds in Gambir, and to increase the selling value of Gambir latex in the Farmer community. To get the results of catechins in Gambir, this research was carried out using the infundation method. The yield of the extract was mostly found at a solvent concentration of 45% ethanol, a temperature of 105 oC and a time of 3 hours, namely 81%. Qualitative test using FeCl3 reagent can be seen that in the filtrate extracted from gambir there are catechins which show a blackish green color when dropped with FeCl3

AMINO ACID PROFILE ANALYSIS OF RED AND GREEN MELINJO PEELS TEA

The study aims to analyze the profile of non-essential and essential amino acids in the peels and herbal tea products made from red and green melinjo peels. The processing of melinjo seeds into chips in Pandeglang Regency in Banten Provence, produces large amounts of melinjo peels waste. The processed tea from red and green melinjo peels contains polyphenol compounds, antioxidants, protein and amino acids that are good for health. The processing stages of the melinjo peel tea by sorting the peels for red and green melinjo peels, then washed, made them into thin slices, and dried using an oven blower at 65oC of temperature for 4 hours. Both green and red melinjo peels tea were analyzed for the amino acid profile using the UPLC method. Based on the results of the analysis, it was found that the amino acid content of melinjo peels and melinjo peels tea, both green and red, consisted of 7 non-essential amino acids and 8 essential amino acids. L-glutamic acid and L-aspartic acid are the highest amino acid components which can give melinjo peels tea a characteristic aroma and taste.

Colored Anti-Hail Nets Modify the Ripening Parameters of Nebbiolo and a Smart NIRS can Predict the Polyphenol Features

In the cultivation of vines the risk of hail appears to be increasing with the ongoing climate change. The use of protective plastic nets is spreading, but there is little knowledge on the additional processing costs and on the phenological and qualitative consequences, moreover, as depending on different colors of the nets. Thus, a randomized trial was carried out in Nebbiolo, a wine of great aging, testing three plastic anti-hail nets colored in green, gray and black. Results showed that 24% more-time was necessary for the canopy management practices under the nets. The black nets advanced the ripening process, with a berry weight decrease of about 13%. A significant decrease in the seed number per berry was observed under the black nets (-45%), while a rise (+102%) was observed under the green and gray nets with a parallel increase in the pH of the juice (+13%) and in malic acid (+28%) under the green nets. The berry skin did not show any significant differences in polyphenol and anthocyanin profiles, while the plants that matured in the upper part of the vineyard showed higher level in the berry skin extractable flavan-reactive to vanillin, and total polyphenol. On the other hand, in the seeds grown under green nets an increase in the extractable polyphenol compounds was observed, sign of a delay in seed ripening, with a higher tannin polymerization ratio, preserving the malic acid, and decreasing the acidity of the berry. In conclusion, the use of colored green may be a useful tool against excessive microclimatic warming and / or irradiation. The field internal variability affects much more the ripening dynamics than the nets used. A second aim was to develop a smart NIR SCiOTM model for polyphenols and the results were in line with the favorable expectations, providing R2 predictions of about 0.74 from the skin and 0.81 from the seeds.

Buckwheat Grass Tea Beverages: Row Materials, Production Methods, and Biological Activity

Introduction. Buckwheat grain has long been used in food technology. However, its aboveground part remains understudied even though it is richer in biologically active substances than grain. The research objective was to evaluate the potential of buckwheat grass as a raw material for functional tea beverages. Study objects and methods. The research featured the lower and upper parts of the stem, leaves, and flowers of common buckwheat, as well as buckwheat tea beverages. The content of polyphenol compounds was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, while the amount of rutin was measured by HPLC analysis. Sensory properties were analyzed by standard methods and quality score, and antioxidant activity – by DPPH radical scavenging method. Results and discussion. The sensory analyses proved that the best tea beverages were made from the upper part of the plant: the samples had a strong smell of meadow grass and honey. The taste of the samples was pleasant, sweetish, with a honey and light floral aftertaste. As the total score (maximum score – 20) increased, the tea samples were arranged in the following order: lower stem (14.3) > upper stem (16.8) > leaves, (18.5) > blend – mix of leaves, flowers, and upper stem (18.6) > flowers (19.3). Polyphenol compounds were found in all parts of the plant: flowers – 6.67%, leaves – 5.71%, blend – 5.45%, upper and lower stem – 1.92 and 1.32%, respectively. Only 30–40% of buckwheat grass polyphenol compounds were found in tea beverages. Most of them were in the samples prepared from leaves and flowers – 1.78 %. Rutin made up most of the polyphenol compounds found in the leaves (5.05%), but its content was lower in other parts of the plant: 3.43% in the blend, 3.03% in the flowers, 1.08 and 0.76% in the upper and lower stem. Except for the lower stem samples, the tea contained from 15 to 75% of the daily rutin intake. All the tea samples showed antioxidant activity: flowers – 66.7%, leaves – 62.3%, and blend – 52.5%. In terms of ascorbic acid, it was 69, 64, and 52 μmol/g dry matter, respectfully. The same samples demonstrated antiradical activity. Conclusion. Common buckwheat grass can serve as a raw material for tea beverages. Buckwheat tea is a natural functional food product with zero caffeine. They have a pleasant taste and aroma. They owe their high biological activity to the high content of rutin and other polyphenol compounds.