Grape Infusions: The Flavor of Grapes and Health-Promoting Compounds in Your Tea Cup

Abstract

Traditionally, tea, a beverage made from the processed leaves of the tea plant, Camellia sinensis, and herbal infusions have been primarily consumed for their pleasant taste. Nowadays, they are also consumed because they contain nutraceutical compounds, such as polyphenols. Grapes and grape/wine sub-products such as non-fermented/semi-fermented or fermented grapes, skins, and seeds are a rich source of health-promoting compounds, presenting a great potential for the development of new beverages. Therefore, these grape/wine sub-products are used in the beverage sector for the preparation of infusions, tisanes, and decoctions. Besides polyphenols, fermented grapes, skins, and seeds, usually discarded as waste, are enriched with other health-promoting/nutraceutical compounds, such as melatonin, glutathione, and trehalose, among others, which are produced by yeasts during alcoholic fermentation. In this review, we summarize the benefits of drinking herbal infusions and discuss the potential application of some grapevine fermentation waste products in the production of healthy beverages that we can call grape infusions.

Bioactive (Poly)phenols, Volatile Compounds from Vegetables, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants

“…Due to their abundance in vegetables and MAPs, the study of phenolic compounds’ (simple phenolics, coumarins, lignans, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and stilbenes) effects on health has increased in recent years, due to the growing evidence indicating that polyphenols are a major class of bioactive phytochemicals. Their consumption may play a role in the prevention of several chronic diseases as potent antioxidant properties, prevention of diseases induced by oxidative stress, and prevention of some specific cardiovascular (mainly high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure) and neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, type II diabetes, cancers, urinary tract infections) [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. However, the health effects of phenolic compounds are dependent on their type, quantity consumed, as well as on their bioavailability.…”

“…The amount of total phenolic compounds is greater in dark vegetables, such as red kidney beans, black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), and black gram (Vigna mango). Bravo [9] determined (by regarding dry matter, mg/100 g) the amount of total phenolic compounds in several vegetables such as black gram (540-1200), chickpeas , cowpea , common beans , green gram (440-800), pigeon peas (380-1710), Brussel sprouts (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15), cabbage (25), leek , onion , parsley , and celery (94).…”

Healthy Drinks with Lovely Colors: Phenolic Compounds as Constituents of Functional Beverages

“…Additionally, herbal teas and infusions are rich in natural antioxidants, mainly flavonoids: theaflavins, bis-flavanols, and fulvic acids. Their consumption has increased because they are recognized as having anticariogenic properties and antimicrobial and anticancer activity [85,86]. McCarthy et al [87] studied the antioxidant potential of plant extracts and compared them with synthetic antioxidants and vitamin E, incorporating them in pork.…”

An integrated sustainable approach for the development of Kyoho skin functional tea

“…Similar colour change tendency was observed at 40, 50 and 60°C, which was attributed to the effect of drying temperature; however, the formulation with stevia might have contributed to the change in colour difference compared to control (Kyoho skin powder). According to the latest review conducted by Vilela & Pinto (2019) reported the influence of drying temperature on tea chemical and sensory characteristics. The visual observation of Kyoho skin functional tea reported the red-green ( Figure S2) colour, which could be the contribution of Kyoho skin and stevia.…”