Flavonoids are the most abundant polyphenols in food. Currently, more than 6,500 different flavonoids are known.
They are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and represent a significant component of our diet. The most abundant flavonoid is quercetin. Flavonoids are water-soluble and give many plants their color – the yellow flavonols have given the flavonoids their name (lat. flavus “yellow”).
Comparable to phenolic acids, flavonoids are also predominantly located in the marginal layers of plants. Therefore, peeling apples or tomatoes reduces the flavonoid content, which is why canned tomatoes, for example, have a considerably lower flavonoid content than fresh tomatoes!
In apple juice production, only about 10% of the flavonoids remain in the juice, the rest remains in the press residues.
Flavonoids are the most abundant polyphenols in food. The group of flavonoids includes:
- Anthocyanins
- Anthocyanidins
- Aurantinidine
- Capensinidin
- Cyanidin
- Delphinidin
- Etc.
- Anthocyanidins
- Flavanols
- Catechin
- Epicatechin
- Epigallocatechin gallate
- Gallocatechin
- Proanthocyanidins
- Etc.
- Flavanone
- Eriodictyol
- Hesperitin
- Naringenin
- Etc.
- Flavone
- Acacetin
- Apigenin
- Chrysetin
- Luteolin
- Etc.
- Flavonols
- Fisetin
- Camphorol
- Morin
- Myricetin
- Quercetin
- Etc.
Flavonoids are believed to have a positive effect on health – antioxidant protection against tumor diseases and cardiovascular diseases, as well as antibacterial and antiviral properties. Furthermore, flavonoids have an anti-inflammatory (anti-inflammatory) effect.
