Therapeutic Medicinal Mushroom (Ganoderma Lucidum): A Review of Bioactive Compounds and their Applications
Megh R. Goyal, Durgesh Nandini Chauhan in Plant- and Marine-Based Phytochemicals for Human Health, 2018
Chen et al. (2010) using headspace solid-phase microextraction combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GCMS) enabled detection of fifty-eight volatile compounds in G. lucidum mycelium. The main volatile flavor compounds included 1-octen-3-ol, ethanol, hexanal, 1-hexanol, sesquirosefuran, 3-octanol, and 3-octanone.23 Similar chromatographic technology (HS-SPME-GC-MS) was used to detect volatile aroma compounds in G. lucidum from Turkey. They detected acids, alcohols, aldehydes, phenols, L-Alanine, D-Alanine, 3-Methyl, 2-Butanamine, 2-Propanamine, and identified 1-Octen-3-ol and 3-Methyl butanal as the major aroma compounds.151 C-19 fatty acids were also detected in the ethanolic extract of G. lucidum spores by Gao and coworkers.35 During their research, 2-naphthyl esters of nonadecanoic and cis-9-nonadecenoic acids isolated by multiple column chromatography and preparative HPLC and characterized by 1Hand 13C-NMR and MS spectral data from the G. lucidum spores were identified as the bioactive constituents responsible for the antitumor activity.35
Catalog of Herbs
James A. Duke in Handbook of Medicinal Herbs, 2018
Per 100 g, the beans are reported to contain 25.9 to 30.9 g H,O, 2.6 to 4.9 g protein, 4.7 to 6.7 g fat, 30.5 to 32.9 g N-free extract, 7.1 to 9.1 g sugar, 15.3 to 19.6 g fiber, 4.5 to 9.7 g ash. Purseglove et al. dedicate more than four pages of tabulations to the chemistry of vanilla.64 Cured pods contain anisic acid, anisaldehyde, glucovanillin, vanillic acid, and vanillin.42Hager’s Handbook adds vanillyl alcohol, protocatechualdehyde, protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, piperonal, anisalcohol, balsam, sugar (15% glucose and fructose, 35% saccharose) enzyme, fatty oil (glycerides of oleic-, palmitic-, and stearic-acid), tannin, resin, mucilage, essential oil, citric-, malic-, oxalic-, and tartaric-acids.33 The aroma compounds include p-hydroxybenzylalcohol, acetaldehyde, diacetyl, furfural, 2.5-methyl-furfurol, benzaldehyde, acetophenone, acetic acid, isobutyric-, caproic-, isovalerianic-, benzoic-, and anisic-acid, guaiacol, /?-cresol, «capric acid, /i-caprylic acid, benzyl benzoate, etc.33
Chemistry of Syzygium cumini
K. N. Nair in The Genus Syzygium, 2017
EOs (or volatile oils or ethereal oils) are aromatic oily liquids obtained mainly from plant material by steam distillation, expression, fermentation, enfleurage, or extraction by means of solvents, but steam distillation is the most common method for producing EOs on a commercial basis. A more recent method of extraction by means of liquid carbon dioxide at low temperature and high pressure produces a more natural profile of EO content (Guan et al. 2007). Chemically, EOs are a complex mixture of volatile constituents and have a characteristic essence of the plant material. They are extracted from almost all parts of the plant, that is, flowers, buds, seeds, leaves, twigs, bark, wood, fruits, and roots. Their presence and function are still a question; probably, they play an important role in direct and indirect plant defense against herbivores and pathogens. Apart from their importance in plant defense, EOs have a vital role in the attraction of pollinators and seed disseminators, thereby playing an important role in the reproduction and survival of species (Langenheim 1994). EOs are well recognized for their cosmetic, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial applications. They have a beneficial impact on humans as health-promoting compounds. EOs or their components have exhibited antiviral, antimycotic, antitoxigenic, antiparasitic, and insecticidal properties. Volatile oils are also used as natural flavor and aroma compounds (Burt 2004).
Conflicting actions of 4-vinylcatechol in rat lymphocytes under oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2020
Takumi Kishida, Yurie Funakoshi, Yuya Fukuyama, Sari Honda, Toshiya Masuda, Yasuo Oyama
4-Vinylcatechol (4VC) was first identified as a component in an organic solvent extract of roasted coffee beans (Prescott et al.1937). It has been identified as an aroma compound in roasted foods, especially coffee (Jiang and Peterson 2010). 4VC, which is produced from caffeic acid and its derivatives during the roasting process, is an intermediate to other bitter compounds found in coffee (Frank et al.2007). The high reactivity of 4VC has attracted the attention of scientists because it stabilizes the red color of wine in a condensation reaction with anthocyanin (Schwarz et al.2003). Furthermore, 4VC is a component in traditional herbal medicines, such as the extracts of Barleria lupulina and Morinda citrifolia (Senger and Cao 2016). This compound may be subconsciously ingested through foods and herbs. A recent study showed that 4VC possesses an antioxidant activity (Senger and Cao 2016) and hastens the rate of diabetic wound healing (Long et al.2016). The efficacy of 4VC as an antioxidant preservative has been proven also in edible oil models (Jia et al.2015). However, the antioxidant properties and/or cytoprotective properties of 4VC in mammalian cells under oxidative stress are not well characterized. In this study, some characteristics of the actions of 4VC were examined on rat thymic lymphocytes under oxidative stress induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) using flow cytometric techniques with the appropriate fluorescent probes. The results revealed the cytoprotective actions of 4VC, as well as some adverse actions, on the cells simultaneously incubated with H2O2. Such information is very crucial for drug safety when 4VC is used clinically.
The natural plant compound carvacrol as an antimicrobial and anti-biofilm agent: mechanisms, synergies and bio-inspired anti-infective materials
Published in Biofouling, 2018
Anna Marchese, Carla Renata Arciola, Erika Coppo, Ramona Barbieri, Davide Barreca, Salima Chebaibi, Eduardo Sobarzo-Sánchez, Seyed Fazel Nabavi, Seyed Mohammad Nabavi, Maria Daglia
Ben Arfa et al. (2006) showed that, in addition to the hydrophobic characteristic favouring the compound accumulation in the membrane, the free hydroxyl function is essential for the antibacterial effect of CAR. This study evaluated the antimicrobial activity of selected aroma compounds such as CAR, eugenol (EUG) and menthol and two synthesized CAR derivative molecules, carvacrol methyl ether and carvacryl acetate, against bacteria (E. coli, P. fluorescens, S. aureus, Lactobacillus plantarum and Bacillus subtilis) and fungi (S. cerevisiae and B. cinerea). CAR turned out to be the most efficient compound, followed by EUG and menthol. CAR derivative molecules were unable to inhibit the growth of microorganisms. As previously reported by Lanciotti et al. (2003), the mechanism of action of aroma compounds against bacteria was related to its hydrophobicity, which was correlated to the logP (partitioning behaviour of the lipophilic compounds in octanol/water) and their partition in the cytoplasmic microbial membranes. Accordingly, CAR (logP 3.52) was the most active compound; carvacrol methyl ether (logP 4.08), as previously reported by Ultee et al. (2002), and carvacryl acetate (logP 3.59) did not show any antibacterial activity. The main difference between CAR and the derivative molecules was the binding of the hydroxyl group. As hypothesized by Ultee et al. (2002), the presence of a system of delocalized electrons is important for the antimicrobial effect of CAR. The system of delocalized electrons allows the compound to act as proton exchanger reducing the gradient across the cytoplasmic membrane with a consequent collapse of the proton motive force. Ben Arfa et al. (2006) confirmed that in addition to the hydrophobicity of CAR, the hydroxyl group is able to exchange its proton thanks to the presence of a delocalized electron system.
Left out in the cold: Serving wines chilled
Published in Temperature, 2019
Christopher T. Simons
With the warm summer months receding, many wine consumers are opting for temperate red wines instead of the chilled white wines. During the hot summer months, chilled white wines have cooling and thirst-quenching properties that many people find desirable. However, chilling also has profound effects on the sensory properties of the wine and what consumers actually perceive during consumption. Specifically, cooling a food or beverage reduces the release of volatile compounds that make up the characteristic “nose” and “flavor” of the particular product. In the case of wines, volatile, aromatic compounds are inhaled through the nose to produce the aromas that characterize particular grape varietals, regions, or treatments (e.g. aging in oak barrels). The wine descriptors are often defined in terms of associated sensory experiences, such as tropical fruit (e.g. banana) or floral (e.g. orange blossom) notes in the case of white wines, and berry (e.g. blackcurrant) and herbaceous (e.g. bell pepper) notes for red wines. Additional attributes characteristic of different wines have been identified and delineated in seminal work from Prof. Ann Noble in the development of the wine aroma wheel [1]. When consumed, the volatile compounds first enter the oral cavity where, upon swishing and swallowing the wine, they are pumped up the back of the throat, through the nasopharynx to the olfactory epithelium in the nasal cavity to elicit retronasal flavor perceptions. Although colloquially referred to as “taste”, these retronasal flavor sensations are highly important to the enjoyment of food and beverages. This is best demonstrated when considering how the sensory profiles are significantly altered when the nose is plugged, for instance when sick with a cold or when pinching the nostrils shut. Water-air and/or ethanol-air partition coefficients reflect the solubility of aroma compounds in each of these media and describe the propensity of volatile molecules to escape from the beverage into the headspace above the liquid. Partition coefficients are temperature dependent; as wine is chilled, the kinetic energy of aroma molecules is reduced, thus leading to fewer aroma compounds in the headspace. Such an effect will reduce the overall intensity of the perceived aroma and flavor compared to when that same wine is evaluated at room temperature. Moreover, temperature has a differential effect on the partition coefficients of different compounds. Consequently, the chemical fingerprint – the concentration of the various volatile molecules relative to one another in the headspace – will differ when analyzed at cold or warm temperatures. A different volatile fingerprint will elicit different aroma and/or flavor sensations in the assessor. The changes can be subtle or great depending on the specific flavor molecules and the temperature differences of the wines. When consuming chilled wines, many connoisseurs will aerate the wine in their oral cavity by swishing the bolus around in their mouth. Such an effect not only causes a greater release of the volatile compounds due to agitation, but will also warm the wine bolus, which also results in the release of flavors into the oral cavity. Thus, the flavor perceived from a chilled wine can effectively be enhanced by suitable manipulation within the mouth.
Related Knowledge Centers
- Chemical Compound
- Cosmetics
- Olfactory System
- Taste
- Volatility
- Flavoring
- Odor
- Plant Breeding
- Sense of Smell
- Floral Scent