Antiulcerative properties of crude polyphenols and juice of apple, and Chinese quince extracts

ArticleFOOD CHEMISTRY. 108(2): 488-495 (2008)journal articl

Inhibitory effects of Goishi tea against influenza virus infection

We investigated the possible anti-influenza virus function of Goishi tea, which is a Japanese traditional microbial fermented tea, in in vitro and in vivo tests. We found that Goishi tea hot water extract (GTE) inhibited hemagglutination caused by influenza A/ Puerto Rico/ 8/ 34 (PR8, H1N1) and influenza A/ Guizhou/ 54/ 89 (Guizhou, H3N2) viruses, viral growth in Mardin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells caused by PR8, and viral infection of mice caused by nasal inoculation of PR8. Furthermore, we investigated the functional fractions of GTE and found that a high-molecular-weight fraction of GTE inhibited viral adsorption to MDCK cells and that low-molecular-weight fractions inhibited subsequent stages of infection, such as viral invasion, genomic multiplication, and release, after adsorption. These results indicate that GTE exerts an inhibitory property against influenza virus infection by inhibiting various stages of infection.ArticleFOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH. 14(3):277-284(2008)journal articl

Non-extractable Procyanidins and Lignin are Important Factors in the Bile Acid Binding and Radical Scavenging Properties of Cell Wall Material in some Fruits

The cell wall components and the food functions of alcohol-insoluble solids (AIS) of Chinese quince, quince, hawthorn, apple, pear and blueberry fruits were analyzed. Chinese quince contained characteristically high contents of cellulose, lignin, and non-extractable procyanidins (NEPCs). On the other hand, the quince AIS contained the highest proportion of NEPCs, the highest mean degree of polymerization (mDP), the strongest radical scavenging activity, and strong bile acid binding activity. In fruit AIS, the lignin and NEPC contents both showed positive correlations with the bile acid binding and radical scavenging activities. The value for mDP x NEPC content was a good index for the radical scavenging activity. The results suggest that highly polymerized NEPCs and lignin are important factors of cell wall components of fruits to having a high functionality, and Chinese quince and quince are interesting fruits from this view point