The Role of Quercetin as a Plant-Derived Bioactive Agent in Preventive Medicine and Treatment in Skin Disorders.

Quercetin, a bioactive plant flavonoid, is an antioxidant, and as such it exhibits numerous beneficial properties including anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antibacterial and antiviral activity. It occurs naturally in fruit and vegetables such as apples, blueberries, cranberries, lettuce, and is present in plant waste such as onion peel or grape pomace which constitute good sources of quercetin for technological or pharmaceutical purposes. The presented study focuses on the role of quercetin in prevention and treatment of dermatological diseases analyzing its effect at a molecular level, its signal transduction and metabolism.

Carrageenan as a functional additive in the production of cheese and cheese-like products.

Carrageenan is a well-known gelling agent used in the food industry. The present review of patent and scien- tific literature shows that carrageenan is a useful additive in the cheese production process. The gel-strength- ening properties of carrageenan are as a result of the fairly strong bonds it forms with casein macromolecules.