Effects of household cooking methods on changes of tissue structure, phenolic antioxidant capacity and active component bioaccessibility of quinoa.

The effects of four household cooking methods including germination (Ger), baking, normal pressure steaming (NPS) and high pressure steaming (HPS) treatments, on tissue structure, tocopherol, antioxidant capacity and active component (ferulic acid and tocopherol) bioaccessibility of different colored quinoa were investigated. The results showed that Ger increased the phenolic contents and antioxidant capacity, but decreased the contents of tocopherol. The steaming processes destroyed the tissue structure of quinoa to a large extent, causing a significant loss of phenolic/flavonoid components and the resultant decreased antioxidant capacity.

Methylated Metabolites of Chicoric Acid Ameliorate Hydrogen Peroxide (HO)-Induced Oxidative Stress in HepG2 Cells.

Chicoric acid (CA) can display health benefits as a dietary polyphenol. However, as CA is widely metabolized , the actual compounds responsible for its bioactivities are not entirely known. Herein, the major methylated metabolites of CA were isolated from an co-incubation system, and their structures were elucidated.

Metabolic and transcriptional regulation of phenolic conversion and tocopherol biosynthesis during germination of sesame ( L.) seeds.

This study aims to evaluate the changes in phenolic acids, lignans and tocopherols of sesame seeds during 0-6 days of germination by monitoring the activities of phenolic metabolism-related enzymes and the expression of key genes in the tocopherol synthesis pathway. Sesamol, which is the most active lignan antioxidant, greatly increased, and most of the phenolic acid contents increased to varying degrees after germination. Correspondingly, the related enzymes, including phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), cinnamate-4-hydroxylase (C4H), and 4-coumarate:coenzyme A ligase (4CL), were activated.