Complex flavonoids in cocoa: synthesis and degradation by intestinal microbiota

J Agric Food Chem. 2010 Aug 11;58(15):8879-86. doi: 10.1021/jf1012242.

Abstract

Rarely occurring flavan-3-ol derivatives such as C-glycosides can be generated during food processing, for example, by cocoa production. These astringent taste compounds may also exert interesting behavior toward microbial metabolism, as other C-glycosides have been shown to be quite stable. Oligomeric flavan-3-ols, the procyanidins, bear also a C-C bond between the main moieties and are suspected to resist microbial metabolism for a prolonged time compared to other flavonoids. This paper describes a semisynthetic approach for the generation of flavan-3-ol C-glycosides. Results of incubation experiments studying five flavan-3-ol C-glycosides bearing different sugars, linkage positions, and stereochemistries are presented as well as the behavior of di- and trimeric B-type procyanidins toward intestinal microbiota. Low molecular weight degradation products are considered as well as concentration-time courses of degraded and liberated compounds. All metabolic studies were performed with the well-proven pig cecum model.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bacteria / metabolism*
  • Cacao / chemistry*
  • Flavonoids / chemical synthesis
  • Flavonoids / metabolism*
  • Intestinal Mucosa / metabolism
  • Intestines / microbiology*
  • Plant Extracts / chemical synthesis
  • Plant Extracts / metabolism*
  • Swine

Substances

  • Flavonoids
  • Plant Extracts