A study of stability of (-)-Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea in a frozen product

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) from green tea has a potential to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. However, EGCG is unstable at high temperature and at pH ≥ 5. Strawberry sorbet is a high acid food product (pH < 4.6) that is stored frozen. The aim of the study is to examine the stability of EGCG in the strawberry sorbet by determining the amount of EGCG immediately after made and stored at 18ºC for up to 16 weeks. In addition, the stability of EGCG in a strawberry sorbet and in distilled water as well as those under simulated intestinal digestion (pH 7.5 and at 37ºC for up to 12 hours) was compared. The data showed that > 90% EGCG was in the strawberry sorbets after storage for 16 weeks. EGCG were also more stable in the strawberry sorbets than in distilled water under the simulated intestinal digestion significantly (p<0.05)

Fruit-derived phenolic compounds and pancreatic cancer: perspectives from Australian native fruits

Ethnopharmacological relevance: pancreatic cancer is a devastating cancer that presents late, is rapidly progressive and has current therapeutics with only limited efficacy. Bioactive compounds are ubiquitously present in fruits and numerous studies in vitro are addressing the activity of these compounds against pancreatic cancer, thus studies of specific bioactive compounds could lead to new anti-pancreatic cancer strategies. Australian native fruits have been used as foods and medicines by Australian Aboriginals for thousands of years, and preliminary studies have found these fruits to contain rich and diversified bioactive components with high antioxidant activity. Thus, Australian native fruits may possess key components for preventing or delaying the onset of tumorigenesis, or for the treatment of existing cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Materials and methods: Numerous databases including PubMed, SciFinder, Web of Knowledge, Scopus, and Sciencedirect were analysed for correlations between bioactive components from fruits and pancreatic cancer, as well as studies concerning Australian native fruits. Results: in this review, we comprehensively highlight the proposed mechanisms of action of fruit bioactives as anti-cancer agents, update the potential anti-pancreatic cancer activity of various major classes of bioactive compounds derived from fruits, and discuss the existence of bioactive compounds identified from a selection Australian native fruits for future studies. Conclusion: bioactive compounds derived from fruits possess the potential for the discovery of new anti-pancreatic cancer strategies. Further, Australian native fruits are rich in polyphenols including some flora that contain unique phenolic compounds, thereby warranting further investigations into their anti-cancer properties

Development of an objective measure of quality and commercial value of Japanese-styled green tea (Camellia L. sinensis): the Quality Index Tool

A novel approach to evaluate the commercial value of green tea products is explored in this paper. The green tea Quality Index Tool (QI-Tool) is based on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), capable of identifying and understanding the constituents that are important to create superior consumer and commercially valuable green tea beverages in the Japanese-style. This tool will allow producers to better identify a product’s potential value within the various levels of green tea retail quality structure. Via the quantification of theanine, caffeine and the catechins: epicatechin (EC), epicatechin gallate (ECG), epigallocatchin (EGC), epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and gallocatechin gallate (GCG) within a green tea beverage, the QI-Tool provides categorisation of a product against the green tea market retail competitive set. This allows a better understanding of the product’s potential commercial value, as well as a comparison to other products within that market category. The QI-Tool is an alternative and promising method for objectively evaluating commercial value of green tea products using HPLC analysis.No Full Tex