The Mediterranean diet is a nutritional recommendation based on the traditional foods and drinks of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The peculiarity of this diet is represented by a high consumption of olive oil, legumes, cereals, fruit and vegetables, a moderately high consumption of fish and dairy products, a moderate consumption of wine and a low consumption of meat and meat-based produces. The high consumption of fruit and vegetables insures a high intake of phytochemicals, compounds that have long been recognized to play a positive role on human health. Phytochemicals are secondary metabolites that plants synthesize for their ecological interaction with biotic and abiotic factors. Anthocyanins are a class of pigments that cover the deep red to blue spectrum. Scientific research has also been focused on the possible benefits to human health from the ingestion of anthocyanin-rich foods. Anthocyanins are remarkably potent antioxidants and they have been associated with reductions in the incidence and severity of many other non-infectious diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. The chapter covers the biosynthesis and function of anthocyanins in plants but overall their presence in a wide range of Mediterranean food and drinks including their role in human health. At the end the use of innovative food as source of anthocyanins is reported.
Anthocyanins in Mediterranean diet: common and innovative sources
GUIDI, LUCIA;LANDI, MARCO
2015-01-01
Abstract
The Mediterranean diet is a nutritional recommendation based on the traditional foods and drinks of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. The peculiarity of this diet is represented by a high consumption of olive oil, legumes, cereals, fruit and vegetables, a moderately high consumption of fish and dairy products, a moderate consumption of wine and a low consumption of meat and meat-based produces. The high consumption of fruit and vegetables insures a high intake of phytochemicals, compounds that have long been recognized to play a positive role on human health. Phytochemicals are secondary metabolites that plants synthesize for their ecological interaction with biotic and abiotic factors. Anthocyanins are a class of pigments that cover the deep red to blue spectrum. Scientific research has also been focused on the possible benefits to human health from the ingestion of anthocyanin-rich foods. Anthocyanins are remarkably potent antioxidants and they have been associated with reductions in the incidence and severity of many other non-infectious diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. The chapter covers the biosynthesis and function of anthocyanins in plants but overall their presence in a wide range of Mediterranean food and drinks including their role in human health. At the end the use of innovative food as source of anthocyanins is reported.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.