Antioxidant Protection from Phenols

Antioxidant Protection from Phenols

The phenols found in fruit have repeatedly been show to have antioxidant activity and to help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells in the body. The total antioxidant activity of many fruits and vegetables has been found to be exactly parallel to their total phenol content, and raisins take their place in this list right alongside prunes and apricots as an antioxidant-rich fruit. The flavonols (one type of phenol belonging to the flavonoid family) in raisins appear to be least affected by the grape-drying process, but raisins do contain fewer phenols than grapes since many of grape's phenols are largely lost in the conversion of grapes to raisins. These phenols include the hydroxycinnamics (caftaricand coutaric acids), procyanidins, and flavan-3-ols.