ALKYLRESORCINOLS: CHEMICAL PROPERTIES, METHODS OF ANALYSIS AND POTENTIAL USES IN FOOD, INDUSTRY AND PLANT PROTECTION

SAMPIETRO, D. A.; APUD, G.R.; JUAREZ, J.H.; BELIZAN, M.M.E.; VATTUONE, M. A.; CATALAN, C. A. N.

ANTIOXIDANT AND BIOCIDAL ACTIVITIES OF WILD AND MEDICINAL PLANTS

CABI Publishing

Lugar: Oxfordshire; Año: 2013; p. 148 - 166

Alkylresorcinols (1,3-dihydroxy-alkylbenzene derivatives) are non-isoprenoid phenolic lipids found in several families of higher plants, algae, mosses, fungi and bacteria. These compounds represent a significant proportion of the phytochemicals found in cereal species where they are concentrated in the bran fraction. Alkylresocinols play a significant role in protecting  plant tissue from noxious organisms, acting also as chemical signals in plant and microorganism interactions. These compounds have been used in the synthesis of resins and bioactive compounds. They have a promising potential in the development of soft nanomaterials and new commercial liposome-based drugs. They also have been proposed as biomarkers of whole cereal grain intake in human diet as well as indicators of the whole grain source in cereal based foods. In this review, we discuss the presence of ARs in plant sources, chemical properties and biosynthesis, methods of  extraction and analysis, possible role in plant and microbial physiologies and their possible uses in nutrition, agriculture and industry.