Advances in the Profiling and Characterization of Antioxidants

The growing interest in plant foods as a source of phytochemicals in general and antioxidants like polyphenols in particular continues to receive a great deal of attention of nutritionists, food scientists and consumers as well. Food is no more regarded as just a source of energy and nutrition but is gaining importance as a functional or nutraceutical diet ingredient. The functional compounds are the secondary metabolites (PSM), produced by the plants as a natural defense against insect pest damage or adverse environmental conditions and represents a large and diverse group of bioactive compounds. PSMs are strong antioxidants that complement or improve the functions of antioxidant vitamins and enzymes which have a protective role to play in the bodily system against reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, UV light exposure, attack of pathogens, parasites and predators. Antioxidants are prophylactic compounds that can possibly even be used to cure several prevailing human diseases by traditional medicinal and health care system. Antioxidants are very sensitive compounds and their bioavailability in food is subject to their occurrence in food and the food processing conditions. The complexity in structure, function and expression of different antioxidants coupled with their frequent occurrence in different herbals from negligible to significant amounts, extraction, identification and their analysis remain a challenging task as ever for the scientists and technologists, despite the recent advances in the analytical and the instrumentation procedures. Keeping in view the high health potential and the related concerns, the current contribution is focussed on extraction, profiling, characterization, biological activity and implications of antioxidant consumption on human health to diversify food applications.

Keywords: Antioxidant activity, Biological activity, Characterization, Extraction, Plant secondary metabolites, Profiling.