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“Polyphenol” may not lead headlines in major media outlets the way “antioxidants” and “omega-3s” do; but, readers who dig deeper into articles can find such language as, “the active polyphenol found in green tea…,” “polyphenol-rich chocolate consumption can…” and “Quercetin, a polyphenol derived principally from apple skins….” The term isn’t completely foreign to consumers, and it only takes a few sentences to explain how polyphenols are plant compounds found abundantly in fruits and vegetables to get consumers to connect polyphenol-fortified products to health benefits.
“Polyphenols have very strong consumer recognition—in fact, the term ‘polyphenols’ itself is gaining recognition on labels,” said Jeff Wuagneux, CEO/president, RFI LLC. On top of that, he added product manufacturers are interested in polyphenol products because, “They are easy to formulate with and have well-established health benefits.”
Polyphenols are useful in a variety of formulations due to their health benefits, according to Christian Artaria, marketing director and head of functional food development, Indena S.p.A. “Epidemiological studies, associated meta-analyses and several double blind, placebo-controlled studies strongly suggest long-term consumption of diets rich in plant polyphenols offer protection against development of different pathologies including cancers, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers are not only becoming more aware of the range of benefits these compounds provide, but also are uncovering the knowledge related to specific polyphenols for a specific health concern.”
Like antioxidants and omega-3s, polyphenols is a huge category, and formulators must focus on a specific polyphenol to produce a specific health effect. Polyphenols break down into two basic categories: flavonoids and non-flavonoids; each of these can be further broken down. Anthocyanins, for instance, are flavonoids that give many berries their red, purple and blue colors, and more than 300 structurally distinct anthocyanins have been identified. Catechins, the polyphenol flavonoids found in tea, include gallocatechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, epicatechin 3-gallate and epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG). Ellagic acid is a non-flavonoid found in raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, pomegranates and some nuts. Flavanones, such as hesperetin, naringenin and eriodictyol, and flavones, such as luteolin and apigenin, are found in citrus. Flavonols, which include quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin and isorhamnetin, are found in onions, apples, kale and broccoli. Isoflavones, primarily found in soy, include daidzein and genistein. Proanthocyanidins are polymer chains of flavonoids found in grape seeds and skins, peanut skins and pine bark. And curcuminoids are polyphenols found in the botanical turmeric.
