Fruits, Spices and Honey Phenolic Compounds: A Comprehensive Review on Their Origin, Methods of Extraction and Beneficial Health Properties

Overview

Journal Antioxidants (Basel)

Date 2024 Nov 27

PMID 39594476

Authors

Dimitrios G Lazaridis

Apostolos-Panagiotis Kitsios

Antonios S Koutoulis

Olga Malisova

Ioannis K Karabagias

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Numerous health benefits have been attributed in the last decades to the regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, along with honey, in a balanced diet. In this context, the aim of the present review was to provide the literature with the most relevant studies focusing on the determination protocols of these polyphenols and other reducing agents in selected fruits (orange, lemon, grapefruit, prunus, apricot, peach, plum, sweet cherry), spices (oregano, cinnamon, clove, saffron, turmeric) and honey of different botanical origin (nectar or honeydew). In addition, the content and the extraction methods of these compounds, along with their metabolic pathway, have been critically evaluated and discussed. Results showed that all fruits, spices and honey exhibit a considerably high antioxidant activity, which is mainly owed to their phytochemical content. Therefore, a balanced diet consisting of the combination of the foods studied herein may comprise a shield against chronic and other pathophysiological disorders and may be achieved through consecutive educational programs for consumers at an international level.

Citing Articles

Advancing Gel Systems with Natural Extracts: Antioxidant, Antimicrobial Applications, and Sustainable Innovations.

Kawee-Ai A Gels. 2025; 11(2).

PMID: 39996668 PMC: 11855317. DOI: 10.3390/gels11020125.

References

Koc A, Silici S, Kasap F, Hormet-Oz H, Mavus-Buldu H, Ercal B . Antifungal activity of the honeybee products against Candida spp. and Trichosporon spp. J Med Food. 2010; 14(1-2):128-34. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2009.0296. View

DOLL R . Chronic and degenerative disease: major causes of morbidity and death. Am J Clin Nutr. 1995; 62(6 Suppl):1301S-1305S. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/62.6.1301S. View

Al-Waili N . Effects of daily consumption of honey solution on hematological indices and blood levels of minerals and enzymes in normal individuals. J Med Food. 2003; 6(2):135-40. DOI: 10.1089/109662003322233549. View

Tuong D, Moniruzzaman M, Smirnova E, Chin S, Sureshbabu A, Karthikeyan A . Curcumin as a Potential Antioxidant in Stress Regulation of Terrestrial, Avian, and Aquatic Animals: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2023; 12(9). PMC: 10525612. DOI: 10.3390/antiox12091700. View

Shin T, Park S, Yoo J, Kim I, Lee H, Kwon T . Anti-allergic inflammatory activity of the fruit of Prunus persica: role of calcium and NF-kappaB. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010; 48(10):2797-802. DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.07.009. View

Manthey J, Grohmann K . Phenols in citrus peel byproducts. Concentrations of hydroxycinnamates and polymethoxylated flavones in citrus peel molasses. J Agric Food Chem. 2001; 49(7):3268-73. DOI: 10.1021/jf010011r. View

Yashin A, Yashin Y, Xia X, Nemzer B . Antioxidant Activity of Spices and Their Impact on Human Health: A Review. Antioxidants (Basel). 2017; 6(3). PMC: 5618098. DOI: 10.3390/antiox6030070. View

Haddad M, El-Qudah J, Abu-Romman S, Obeidat M, Iommi C, Jaradat D . Phenolics in Mediterranean and Middle East Important Fruits. J AOAC Int. 2020; 103(4):930-934. DOI: 10.1093/jaocint/qsz027. View

Tan H, Rahman R, Gan S, Halim A, Hassan S, Sulaiman S . The antibacterial properties of Malaysian tualang honey against wound and enteric microorganisms in comparison to manuka honey. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2009; 9:34. PMC: 2753561. DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-9-34. View

10.

Aminzare M, Moniri R, Azar H, Mehrasbi M . Evaluation of antioxidant and antibacterial interactions between resveratrol and eugenol in carboxymethyl cellulose biodegradable film. Food Sci Nutr. 2022; 10(1):155-168. PMC: 8751429. DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2656. View

11.

Erdogan S, Erdemoglu S . Evaluation of polyphenol contents in differently processed apricots using accelerated solvent extraction followed by high-performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2011; 62(7):729-39. DOI: 10.3109/09637486.2011.573469. View

12.

Karabagias V, Giannakas A, Andritsos N, Leontiou A, Moschovas D, Karydis-Messinis A . Shelf Life of Minced Pork in Vacuum-Adsorbed Carvacrol@Natural Zeolite Nanohybrids and Poly-Lactic Acid/Triethyl Citrate/Carvacrol@Natural Zeolite Self-Healable Active Packaging Films. Antioxidants (Basel). 2024; 13(7). PMC: 11274301. DOI: 10.3390/antiox13070776. View

13.

Tresserra-Rimbau A, Rimm E, Medina-Remon A, Martinez-Gonzalez M, de la Torre R, Corella D . Inverse association between habitual polyphenol intake and incidence of cardiovascular events in the PREDIMED study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2014; 24(6):639-47. DOI: 10.1016/j.numecd.2013.12.014. View

14.

Spencer J, Chowrimootoo G, Choudhury R, Debnam E, Srai S . The small intestine can both absorb and glucuronidate luminal flavonoids. FEBS Lett. 1999; 458(2):224-30. DOI: 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)01160-6. View

15.

Czech A, Malik A, Sosnowska B, Domaradzki P . Bioactive Substances, Heavy Metals, and Antioxidant Activity in Whole Fruit, Peel, and Pulp of Citrus Fruits. Int J Food Sci. 2021; 2021:6662259. PMC: 7990557. DOI: 10.1155/2021/6662259. View

16.

Vallverdu-Queralt A, Regueiro J, Martinez-Huelamo M, Rinaldi Alvarenga J, Leal L, Lamuela-Raventos R . A comprehensive study on the phenolic profile of widely used culinary herbs and spices: rosemary, thyme, oregano, cinnamon, cumin and bay. Food Chem. 2014; 154:299-307. DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.106. View

17.

Priyadarsini K . Chemical and structural features influencing the biological activity of curcumin. Curr Pharm Des. 2012; 19(11):2093-100. DOI: 10.2174/138161213805289228. View

18.

Kumar N, Goel N . Phenolic acids: Natural versatile molecules with promising therapeutic applications. Biotechnol Rep (Amst). 2019; 24:e00370. PMC: 6734135. DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2019.e00370. View

19.

Hooshmand S, Arjmandi B . Viewpoint: dried plum, an emerging functional food that may effectively improve bone health. Ageing Res Rev. 2009; 8(2):122-7. DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2009.01.002. View

20.

Crozier A, Del Rio D, Clifford M . Bioavailability of dietary flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Mol Aspects Med. 2010; 31(6):446-67. DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2010.09.007. View