Plants As A Source Of Natural Antioxidants

Plants have a significant role in maintaining human health and improving the quality of human life for thousands of years and providing valuables in the form of medicines, beverages, cosmetics and dyes. There exists a plethora of knowledge and information and benefits of herbal drugs in our ancient literature of Ayurvedic and Unani medicine. Diseases that remain most challenging in today's healthcare system tend to be complex involving multiple mechanisms, targets and drugs for effective disease management. In contrast to current combination therapies, however, plant based drugs contain a mixture of multiple components thereby saving considerable time and expense.

Free radicals are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons. Damage occurs when the free radical encounters another molecule and seeks to find another electron to pair its unpaired electron. Free radicals can cause mutation in different biological compounds such as protein, nucleic acids, and lipids, and the damage caused by the free radicals lead to various diseases (cancer, cardiovascular disease, aging, etc.). Antioxidants are helpful in reducing and preventing damage from free radical reactions because of their ability to donate electrons, which neutralize the radical without forming another. Ascorbic acid, for example, can lose an electron to a free radical and remain stable itself by passing its unstable electron around the antioxidant molecule. Unfortunately, new data indicate that the synthetic antioxidants used in the industry could have carcinogenic effects on human cells, thus fueling an intense search for new, natural, and efficient antioxidants. Therefore, the current book discusses the role and source of antioxidant compounds in nutrition and diets. Also, the current book includes nine chapters contributed by experts around the world, and the chapters are categorized into two sections: "Antioxidant Compounds and Biological Activities" and "Natural Antioxidants and Applications."

A comprehensive overview of both traditional and current knowledge on the health effects of plant based antioxidants, this book reviews medicinal and aromatic plants from around the world. It covers the different sources of antioxidants including essential oils, algae and marine microorganisms, as well as the role of abiotic and biotic stresses, endophytes, transgenic approaches in scavenging ROS and antioxidant plants used in different therapeutic systems.

This book provides an up-to-date treatment of antioxidant and biocidal compounds mainly from Latin American plants. New antimicrobials, insecticides and antioxidants are compiled in a single source for the first time based on the research and knowledge of several internationally renowned research groups. This book is organized in three sections: Part I provides a general overview and perspectives on antioxidant, medicinal and biocidal plant compounds; Part II provides information on plant antioxidants isolated from a wide range of species; and Part III describes insecticidal, antimicrobial and other biocidal activities based on peptides, phytoecdysteroids, alkaloids, polyphenols, terpenoids and other allelochemicals.

Functional Food Ingredients from Plants, Volume 90, the latest release in the Advances in Food and Nutrition Research series, provides updated knowledge about nutrients in foods and how to avoid their deficiency, especially for those essential nutrients that should be present in the diet to reduce disease risk and optimize health. Updates to this release include sections on Natural antioxidants of plant origin, Dietary fiber sources, The impact of molecular interactions with phenolic compounds on food polysaccharides functionality, Plant phenolics as functional ingredients, Pigments and vitamins from plants as functional ingredients, Glucosinolates fate from plants to consumer, and more. Contains contributions that have been carefully selected based on their vast experience and expertise on the subject Includes updated, in-depth, and critical discussions of available information, giving the reader a unique opportunity to learn Encompasses a broad view of the topics at hand

This book provides a comprehensive reference guide to plant-derived antioxidants, their beneficial effects, mechanisms of action, and role in disease prevention and improving general health (anti-ageing effect). The content is divided into three main parts, the first of which covers various antioxidants (such as polyphenols, carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, glutathione, ascorbic acid), their origins, plant biochemistry and industrial utilization. In turn, the book’s second, main part focuses on antioxidants’ beneficial health effects, explains biochemical fundamentals such as the free radical theory and oxidative stress, and discusses antioxidants’ role in e.g. cancer, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation, degenerative diseases and ageing. The third part reviews general laboratory methods for antioxidant screening, preservation and determination. Written by an international team of experts, this highly interdisciplinary book will benefit a broad range of health professionals and researchers working in biochemistry, biotechnology, nutrition, plant science and food chemistry. It offers an indispensable, up-to-date guide for anyone interested in antioxidants and the role of a plant-based diet in disease prevention and control

The scientific world and modern society today is experiencing the dawning of an era of herbal medicine. Extensive research has shown that aromatic plants are important anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti aging and immune boosting delectable foods, with the magic and miracle to boost our immune system providing us with extended and an improved quality of life. Apart from making bland recipes into welcoming or interesting victories, herbs and spices have stirred the minds of the research community to look deeper into its active components from a functional perspective. It is essential to present the scientific and medicinal aspect of herbs and spices together with the analysis of constituents, its medicinal application, toxicology and its physiological effects. Herbs and spices with high levels of antioxidants are in great demand as they tend to promote health and prevent diseases naturally assuring increased safety and reliability for consumers. Herbs and spices are not only known for taste and flavor, but today research has opened up a new realm in which the antioxidant properties of these aromatic plants provide preservation for foods and health benefits for consumers who look forward to concrete scientific research to guide them further and explore herbal medicine. The aim of this book is to create awareness in society about the reliability of medicinal properties of certain herbs and spices through scientific and scholarly research.

This book provides state-of-the-art discussion of natural antioxidants from dietary sources, their occurrence, health effects, chemistry, and methodologies. The book summarizes data on the occurrence of antioxidative compounds in cereals and legumes, oilseeds, herbs and spices, vegetables, teas, muscle foods, and other commodities. The antioxidant vitamins and enzymes also are thoroughly discussed. The potential beneficial effects of dietary antioxidants, the chemistry of food antioxidants, and methodologies to assess lipid oxidation and antioxidant activity also have been covered.