Food & Function Blog

Tea is one of the most popular drinks worldwide, and it’s nutritional value is comes mainly from the tea polyphenols which are reported to possess a broad spectrum of biological activities.  These include reduction of various cancers, inhibition of inflammation, and protective effects against diabetes and obesity.

In this review article researchers from Rutgers University (USA), National Chiayi University and National Kaohsiung Marine university (Taiwan) review the chemical analysis and stability of black tea.  Accurate analysis of the components of black tea is important for quality control, but also to identify the important biologically active molecules within it and their efficacy in animal and human studies.  Based on these finding, new and improved tea products can be produced.  This review article summarizes the major components of black tea before looking at the methods of analyzing these compounds and their stability.

Read the full article for free:

Black tea: chemical analysis and stability, Shiming Li, Chih-Yu Lo, Min-Hsiung Pan, Ching-Shu Lai and Chi-Tang Ho, Food Funct., 2013, 4, 10-18

As well as adding great flavours to the foods we eat and enhancing the sensory qualities of our meals, spices also provide us with many health benefits.  These include radioprotective effects as well as helping us to fight against, and prevent, diseases such as alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity, cancers and diseases of the bowel.

Read about some of the latest research in this area from selection of articles published in Food & Function below – all free to access until the 19th March 2013!

Dietary spices as beneficial modulators of lipid profile in conditions of metabolic disorders and diseases, Krishnapura Srinivasan, Food Funct., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30249G

Curcumin, an active component of turmeric in the prevention and treatment of ulcerative colitis: preclinical and clinical observations, Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga, Nandhini Joseph, Marikunte V. Venkataranganna, Arpit Saxena, Venkatesh Ponemone and Raja Fayad, Food Funct., 2012, 3, 1109-1117

Radioprotective effects of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Ginger): past, present and future, Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga, Raghavendra Haniadka, Manisha Maria Pereira, Karadka Ramdas Thilakchand, Suresh Rao and Rajesh Arora, Food Funct., 2012, 3, 714-723

Dietary agents in the prevention of alcohol-induced hepatotoxicty: preclinical observations, Arnadi Ramachandrayya Shivashankara, Aysha Azmidah, Raghavendra Haniadka, Manoj Ponadka Rai, Rajesh Arora and Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga, Food Funct., 2012, 3, 101-109

Inhibitory effects of 1,3-bis-(2-substituted-phenyl)-propane-1,3-dione, β-diketone structural analogues of curcumin, on chemical-induced tumor promotion and inflammation in mouse skin, Chuan-Chuan Lin, Yue Liu, Chi-Tang Ho and Mou-Tuan Huang, Food Funct., 2011, 2, 78-83

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Recently there has been considerable debate on what is the most appropriate and accurate method to predict the available energy to humans from food, particularly relating to factorial models vs.empirical models.  An alternative approach would be to calculate the physiologically available energy of food at the cellular level (ATP, or adenosine-5′-triphosphate), based on stoichiometric relationships and predictive uptakes of nutrients from the digestive tract. 

In this work, Leah Coles and colleagues from the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute (Australia) and the Riddet Institute, Massey University (New Zealand) have developed just such a model. The model takes ‘energetic costs’ into account when considering the ATP yield, such as the energetic cost of digesting, absorbing and transporting nutrients in the body. The model is potentially a valuable tool for the development of certain food products which need to provide accurate quantities of energy intake, such as specialised weight-loss products. 

Read the full article for free until the 7th Feburary 2013!

A model to predict the ATP equivalents of macronutrients absorbed from food, Leah Coles,  Shane Rutherfurd and Paul Moughan, Food Funct., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30239J

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Colorectal cancer is one of the major causes of cancer-related mortalities in humans across the world.  The disease is one influenced by several factors including diet, environment and smoking.  Previous studies into the effects of diet on this disease have indicated an inverse relationship between consumption of fruits and vegetables and the risk of developing colon cancer. 

In this study, Andriana Kaliora and colleagues from Harokopio University and Corinthian Raisins Cooperative SKOS A.S.E., Greece, have looked at the impact of the total phenolic content from raisins and sultanas on colon cancer cells.  Extracts from both raisins and sultanas showed DPPH scavenging activity in a dose-dependent manner, and both suppressed cell proliferation.  Methanol extracts of the sultanas and raisins exhibited anti-radical activity in vitro and cancer preventative efficacy on colon cancer cells, with sultanas having slightly higher activity.

The authors attribute the beneficial properties of the raisins and sultanas from this region to their high phenolic content.

This article is free to access until the 4th February 2013!

Chemopreventive properties of raisins originating from Greece in colon cancer cells, Aggeliki M. Kountouri, Aristea Gioxari, Evangelia Karvela, Andriana C. Kaliora, Michalis Karvelas and Vaios T. Karathanos, Food Funct., 2013, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO30259D

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