Title:Tree Nuts and Peanuts as a Source of Natural Antioxidants in our Daily Diet
Volume: 26
Issue: 16
Author(s): Ryszard Amarowicz*Ronald B. Pegg
Affiliation:
- Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Tuwima Street 10, 10-748 Olsztyn,Poland
Keywords:
Nuts, phenolics, tocopherols, carotenoids, vitamin C, antioxidant activity, LDL oxidation, in vitro studies, in vivo studies, heat
process.
Abstract: Tree nuts and peanuts are healthy foods with a proven track record of helping to reduce the incidence
of chronic diseases, most notably cardiovascular disease. At the point of consumption, all nuts contain low moisture
and ≥ 50% lipid contents, but this is where similarities end. The levels of key nutrients and bioactives including
vitamin C, vitamin E, L-arginine, minerals (such as selenium and zinc), and phenolics can differ markedly.
Distinctions in the types and quantities of phenolic constituents for tree nut species, as well as the impact of digestion,
will affect the nuts’ antioxidant potential in vivo. This work provides some insight into the different types
of phenolics found in tree nuts and peanuts, the antioxidant potential of their phenolic extracts using in vitro
chemical assays, the effect of thermal processing on the stability of the nuts’ endogenous phenolics, and the impact
on biomarkers of human health arising from randomized clinical trials. Key biomarkers include measures in
the reduction of LDL oxidation as well as increases in the levels of vitamin E and selected phenolic compounds in
blood plasma postprandially from those of baseline.
