What Are Polyphenols
Polyphenols are a large number of compounds with one or more aromatic rings and also there are one or more hydroxyl groups on the rings. They are the most abundant secondary metabolites found in plants. The structures of more than 8,000 phenolic are presently known, including simple molecules like phenolic acids and highly polymerized compounds like tannin. They are broadly distributed in all plant organs and are therefore an essential part of the human diet. Polyphenols are widespread components of plant foods (cereals, vegetables, fruits, olive, chocolate and so on) and beverages (coffee, tea, beer, wine and so on).
Phenolics partially contribute to the organoleptic properties of plant foods. For example, phenolics in fruit and fruit juices can interact with the glycoprotein in saliva and are responsible for the bitterness and astringency. Anthocyanins, also known as flavonoids, contribute to the red, blue, orange and purple colors of many fruits and vegetables like apples, berries, oranges and onions. What's more, as the most important compounds contributing to differences of flavor and color among white and red wines, phenolics play an important role in the preservation, maturation and aging of white and red wines.
Despite widely distributed in plant kingdom, the health effects of polyphenols attract the attention of nutritionists only in recent years. Because of their abundance in the diet, their potent antioxidant properties, and their significant effects in the prevention of a series of oxidative stress associated diseases like atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, more and more researchers become interested in polyphenols. Both epidemiologic data and in vitro and in vivo research report indicate the preventive effects of polyphenols. Therefore, it is widely recommend taking food containing more polyphenols. What's more, it is found that polyphenols regulate the activity of a large number of enzyme and cell receptors.
Polyphenol Detection Method
Because of the significance of polyphenols, the accurate and sensitive analysis of polyphenols is of vital importance. Before these polyphenols be used in specific fields, such as diet, pharmaceutical, and the cosmetic industries, they need to be extracted from the plants, then analyzed, characterized and quantified. Because of the structural diversity and their interaction with other cellular compounds, it is a challenging task to develop an efficient method for the extraction, characterization and quantification of phenolic compounds from different sources. Up till now, GC, MS, GC-MS, HPLC with chemiluminescence detection or ultraviolet detection methods are the methods for polyphenols analysis. GC and HPLC are the most effective among all these methods. However, because of the poor volatility, thermal instability and high polarity, GC cannot be used directly to test polyphenols and time-consuming derivation is a necessary. Comparing to GC, HPLC is more effective and applicable for the separation and determination of polyphenols.
Our Polyphenol Quantification Service
Creative Proteomics offers highly sensitive, reliable HPLC-UV analysis of polyphenols.
Service Advantages
In-House Database: We maintain a proprietary database of flavonoid standard compounds to ensure the accuracy and reliability of qualitative results.
Qualitative Precision: Our method development is based on standard compounds, and we meticulously cross-verify the secondary spectra of metabolites in samples with those of standard compounds.
High Specificity: We employ optimized polyphenol handling procedures, appropriate chromatographic and mass spectrometry detection conditions, and verify each project with standard compounds for enhanced specificity.
High Sensitivity: Utilizing the AB SCIEX 6500 Qtrap, a high-sensitivity mass spectrometry system, we can accurately identify polyphenols even at extremely low concentrations.
Sample Requirements
Plant Tissues: Fresh samples: 2g, Dry samples: 1g, Freeze-dried powder: 250 mg
Storage and Transport:
Store in liquid nitrogen or at -80°C.
Transport with an ample supply of dry ice to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.
Detection Platform
AB Sciex QTRAP® 6500+
| Polyphenols Quantified in Our Service | ||
|---|---|---|
| Caffeic acid | Catechin | Cinnamic acid |
| Coumarin | Ellagic acid | Ferulic acid |
| Gallic acid | Isorhamnetin | Kaempferol |
| Luteolin | Naringin | p-coumaric acid |
| Quercetin | Sinapic acid | Syringic acid |
