By-products obtained from winemaking processes still contain large amounts of phenolic compounds, especially phenolic acids, flavanols, flavonols, stilbenes, and flavonoids. Enzymatic hydrolysis was used for determination and characterization of phenolic acids, flavanols, flavonols, and stilbenes. Characterization of the flavonoids was achieved using acid hydrolysis with 0.1% hydrochloric acid....

Diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been associated with benefits for human health. Those effects have been partially ascribed to their content in flavonoids, compounds that are present in many edible plants and its derived foods. In humans, a significant number of studies has been developed analyzing the effect of foods and beverages rich in flavonoids on the presence and progression of r...

An increasing body of epidemiologic evidence supports the concept that diets rich in fruits and vegetables can promote health and attenuate, or delay, the onset of various diseases. Epidemiologic data support the idea that these health benefits are causally linked to the consumption of certain flavonoids present in fruit and vegetables. In the context of cardiovascular health, a particular grou...

Cocoa is a source of flavanols, and these phenolic compounds exert beneficial effects on health aging, reduce the risk suffering chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, cancer). An increasing body evidence has emerged to suggest that cocoa flavanols potentially are important chemopreventive natural agents. This review summarizes human studies from past two decades, provi...

The articles in the issue provide important evidence for the acute effects of cocoa flavanols on the peripheral vascular response in humans. As Hollenberg and Luscher point out, ‘‘not only does flavanol-rich cocoa-induced nitric oxide production show a dramatic influence on blood vessels in healthy individuals, preliminary information available indicates that the influence on nitric oxide synth...

Three new flavanols, 5-p-hydroxybenzoxy-7-hydroxyl-8-ethoxycarbonyl-( - )-afzelechin (1), 5-p-hydroxybenzoxy-7-(2, 3, 5-trihydroxybenzoxy)-8-ethoxycarbonyl-( - )-afzelechin (2), and 5-p-hydroxybenzoxy-7-(2, 3, 5-trihydroxybenzoxy)-8-methoxycarbonyl-( - )-afzelechin (3), were isolated from Daphne giraldii Nitsche and their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods, especially by 2D-NMR...