Grape is one of the oldest fruit crops domesticated by humans. The numerous\nuses of grape in making wine, beverages, jelly, and other products, has made it one of the\nmost economically important plants worldwide. The complex phytochemistry of the berry\nis characterized by a wide variety of compounds, most of which have been demonstrated to\nhave therapeutic or health promoting properties. Among them, flavonoids are the most\nabundant and widely studied, and have enjoyed greater attention among grape researchers\nin the last century. Recent studies have shown that the beneficial health effects promoted\nby consumption of grape and grape products are attributed to the unique mix of\npolyphenolic compounds. As the largest group of grape polyphenols, flavonoids are the\nmain candidates considered to have biological properties, including but not limited to\nantioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antiviral, cardioprotective,\nneuroprotective, and hepatoprotective activities. Here, we discuss the recent scientific\nadvances supporting the beneficial health qualities of grape and grape-derived products,\nmechanisms of their biological activity, bioavailability, and their uses as nutraceuticals.\nThe advantages of modern plant cell based biotechnology as an alternative method for\nproduction of grape nutraceuticals and improvement of their health qualities are\nalso discussed.
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