Kaempferol compound

A few studies have shown bananas to contain varying amounts of phenolic compound and their composition and quantity is known to be influenced by various factors. The main flavonoids detected in bananas are as follows: quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, and cyanidin, which provide health benefits mostly due to their action as free radical scavengers.

What is kaempferol? Kaempferol is a natural flavonol, a class of flavonoid, found in many fruits vegetables and herbs, including grapes, tomatoes, broccoli, tea, and ginkgo biloba leaves. Kaempferol is one of the flavonols which was abundantly found in ripe plantain pulp and less or absent from other cultivars. Kaempferol is a tetrahydroxyflavone in which the four hydroxy groups are located at positions 3, 5, 7 and 4'.

It has a role as an antibacterial agent, a plant metabolite, a human xenobiotic metabolite, a human urinary metabolite, a human blood serum metabolite and a geroprotector. It is a member of flavonols, a 7-hydroxyflavonol and a tetrahydroxyflavone.

Kaempferol also has a beneficial role on different inflammatory-related diseases such as cardiovascular, cancers, and neurodegenerative diseases.

Kaempferol may help by augmenting the body’s antioxidant defense against free radicals, which promote the development of cancer. This flavonol can reduce the lipid oxidation in the human body, prevent the organs and cell structure from deterioration and protect their functional integrity.

At the molecular level, kaempferol has been reported to modulate a number of key elements in cellular signal transduction pathways linked to apoptosis, angiogenesis, inflammation, and metastasis.
Kaempferol compound

Flavonoids in banana

The flavonoids are the most abundant polyphenols in human diets and the most common group of polyphenols in plants as well. Generally, plants contain several biologically active compounds such as pentacyclic triterpenes, steroidal saponins, flavonoids and derivatives of phenolic compounds. .

Most of these phenolics are known to also exhibit antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiallergenic, antithrombotic, and vasodilatory activities.

Flavonoids are the largest group of polyphenolic plant secondary metabolites. Different subclasses of flavonoids exist in banana fruits, and flavonoids of different banana varieties share some characteristics.

Flavonoids can help human body ward off every day toxins. Like other phytonutrients, flavonoids are powerful antioxidants with anti-inflammatory and immune system benefits. Diets rich in flavonoid-containing foods are sometimes associated with cancer, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular disease prevention.

In study published in Front Plant Sci. (2016; 7: 1291), five flavonoids (quercetin, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside chloride, ellagic acid, catechin, and gallocatechin) were detected in both banana (Musa spp. AAB cv. ‘Xiangfen 1’ and Musa spp. AAA cv. ‘Brazil’) varieties at all fruit developmental stages.

Thus, the banana peel and pulp both are good sources of health-promoting phenolic compounds. Gallocatechin was more abundant in peel (158 mg/100 g dry wt.) than in pulp (29.6 mg/100 g dry wt.). The higher gallocatechin content may account for the better antioxidant effects. Thus, the antioxidant capacity of the bananas may be attributed to their gallocatechin content. (Food Chemistry Volume 79, Issue 3, November 2002)
Flavonoids in banana

Phenolics in banana: Gallic acid

Major polyphenolic compound found in banana having antioxidant properties and are known for providing health benefits. Antioxidants express their mechanism through chelation of metal ion, regulation of gene expression, and the co-antioxidants. Various phenolics present in banana have been identified as follows: gallic acid, catechin, epicatechin, tannins, and anthocyanins.

Gallic acid (3, 4, 5-trihydroxybenzoic acid) is one of the most abundant phenolic acids in the plant kingdom and naturally occurring polyphenolic compound found in processed beverages such as red wines and green teas. It occurs in plants in the form of free acids, esters, catechin derivatives and hydrolysable tannins.

Gallic acid extracted from different natural sources has been implicated to possess potency to ameliorate neurodegenerative disorders and aging. Furthermore, large number of reseach explorations are available to show its ability for the treatment of diabetes, ischemic heart diseases, ulcer and other ailments.

This compound also has been reported to have therapeutic activities in gastrointestinal, metabolic, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders.

Gallic acid and its derivatives such as lauryl gallate, propyl gallate, octyl gallate, tetradecyl gallate, and hexadecyl gallate, can inhibit the oxidation and rancidity of oils and fats and because of that, they can be useful as additives in the food industry.

Research suggested that gallic acid has neuroprotective activity against 6-OHDA induced oxidative stress via enhancement of cerebral antioxidant defense. Gallic acid, founded by investigators to antioxidant properties of polyphenols have been exploited in the inhibition of fibrillar protein deposits that lead to disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Phenolics in banana: Gallic acid