Natural Phenol Polymers: Recent Advances in Food and Health Applications

Abstract

Natural phenol polymers are widely represented in nature and include a variety of classes including tannins and lignins as the most prominent. Largely consumed foods are rich sources of phenol polymers, notably black foods traditionally used in East Asia, but other non-edible, easily accessible sources, e.g., seaweeds and wood, have been considered with increasing interest together with waste materials from agro-based industries, primarily grape pomace and other byproducts of fruit and coffee processing. Not in all cases were the main structural components of these materials identified because of their highly heterogeneous nature. The great beneficial effects of natural phenol-based polymers on human health and their potential in improving the quality of food were largely explored, and this review critically addresses the most interesting and innovative reports in the field of nutrition and biomedicine that have appeared in the last five years. Several in vivo human and animal trials supported the proposed use of these materials as food supplements and for amelioration of the health and production of livestock. Biocompatible and stable functional polymers prepared by peroxidase-catalyzed polymerization of natural phenols, as well as natural phenol polymers were exploited as conventional and green plastic additives in smart packaging and food-spoilage prevention applications. The potential of natural phenol polymers in regenerative biomedicine as additives of biomaterials to promote growth and differentiation of osteoblasts is also discussed.

Technological Application of Tannin-Based Extracts

“…Nowadays, algae, specifically those belonging to the Phaeophyceae class, have been included as organisms capable of synthesizing an exclusive class of tannins, phlorotannins which the common structural base is the phloroglucinol ( Figure 1D). Regarding their chemical classification, they can be currently divided into five main categories: Gallotannins, ellagitannins, complex tannins, condensed tannins, and phlorotannins [3][4][5][6].…”

Inhibition of Protein Aggregation by Several Antioxidants

“…Natural antioxidants provide neuroprotective effects through a variety of biological actions, such as scavenging free radicals, interaction with transition metals, modulation of different enzymes and effects on intracellular signaling pathways, and gene expression [ 17 ]. Several epidemiological studies suggest that diets rich in antioxidants offer protection against numerous pathologies such as cancer, heart disease, hypertension, neurodegenerative diseases, and stroke [ 17 , 18 ]. One should keep in mind that therapeutic use of relatively safe natural polyphenols is limited by their pharmacokinetics.…”

Tannic Acid-Lung Fluid Assemblies Promote Interaction and Delivery of Drugs to Lung Cancer Cells

“…Considering these outcomes as patentable innovation, there was an invention allowed to develop tannin complexes or mixtures with TA and pharmaceutical compositions [ 5 ]. There is substantial evidence that TA is an important biocompatible and biodegradable compound commonly used for biomedical and clinical applications [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. The abundance of hydroxyl functional groups in TA can offer increased solubilization, complexation, entrapment, and encapsulation of therapeutic cargo for slow and sustained release applications [ 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”