Stay healthy with polyphenols!

Polyphenols help control free radical formation in humans and slow cell ageing. First and foremost, they are found in fruit and vegetables, but also in processed goods such as chocolate, tea or wine. Humans consume around a gramme of polyphenols a day, which is more than ten times the figure for vitamin C.

Strawberries, lychees and grapes are the fruits with the highest polyphenol content, but vegetables are not far behind, particularly artichokes, parsley and brussels sprouts. Moreover, total consumption also plays a role. As Pierre Brat* points out: “If we look at total polyphenol content in apples, they rank fifth compared to other fruits, but the extent of their consumption places them first!”. Likewise, in terms of vegetables, potatoes rank just 19th, but their massive consumption means that they account for almost 60% of the polyphenols obtained from vegetables.

This prompted CIRAD and its partners to create a database, to set product composition against consumption. In all, the total polyphenol content of 162 vegetable and 71 fruit samples, along with 85 tea samples, was analysed. The results were used to compile a composition and consumption table, with values for 28 fruits and 24 vegetables (Journal of Nutrition, 2006, vol. 136, p. 2368-2373, co-author Pierre Brat).

The operation is continuing in the form of the Phénobase project, led by the CTCPA (Centre Technique de la Conservation des Produits Agricoles) in Avignon, in which CIRAD is also involved. The aim is to expand the database, this time looking at commonly consumed “processed” food products.

* Researcher with the CIRAD Qualisud Research Unit

Media Contact

Helen Burford alfa

All latest news from the category: Agricultural and Forestry Science

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

Lighting up the future

New multidisciplinary research from the University of St Andrews could lead to more efficient televisions, computer screens and lighting. Researchers at the Organic Semiconductor Centre in the School of Physics and…

Researchers crack sugarcane’s complex genetic code

Sweet success: Scientists created a highly accurate reference genome for one of the most important modern crops and found a rare example of how genes confer disease resistance in plants….

Evolution of the most powerful ocean current on Earth

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current plays an important part in global overturning circulation, the exchange of heat and CO2 between the ocean and atmosphere, and the stability of Antarctica’s ice sheets….

Partners & Sponsors