Starch is a white, granular and organic chemical which is formed by all green plants. It is a soft, white and tasteless powder which is insoluble in cold water, alcohol and other solvents. The chemical formula of starch molecule is (C6H10O5)n. Starch is a carbohydrate polymer found in grains, legumes, and tubers. It is a polysaccharide composed of less than 1,000 to many thousands of a-linked glucose units and its two forms are amylase and amylopectin. Amylose is the linear form of starch, while amylopectin consists of linear and branched glucose polymers. In general, amylose starches are compact, have low…
Author: Emily
In chemistry, betaine is any neutral chemical compounds having positively charged cationic functional group such as phosphonium cation or quaternary ammonium which has no hydrogen atom and with negatively charged functional group such as carboxylate group which may not be adjacent to cationic site. Biologically betaine is included in methylation reactions and detoxification of homocysteine. In biological systems, betaines act as organic osmolytes which are substances synthesized and taken up from environment by cells for protection against osmotic stress, high salinity, drought and high temperature. Betaine is a byproduct of processing sugar beet. It functions by preventing build-up of amino…
In the body, vitamin A appears in three forms: retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid. Together they are referred to as retinoids. Retinol is often called preformed vitamin A or Vitamin A1 and is one of the most active, or usable, forms of vitamin A. Retinol is found in animal foods and can be converted to retinal and retinoic acid in the body. In form of supplements, it is used for treating and preventing deficiency of Vitamin A. It is also used for preventing further issues in those with measles. It is used by mouth or injection into a muscle. In…
Beta-carotene is classified as a carotenoid, a class of phytochemicals. Carotenoids are a group of plant pigments that are the basis for the orange, red, and deep yellow colors of many fruits and vegetables, including carrots. Although there are more than 600 carotenoids found in nature, only about 50 are in the typical human diet. The six most common carotenoids found in human blood are alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin. Of these, the body can convert only alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin to retinol. These are referred to as provitamin A carotenoids. Provitamins are inactive forms of vitamins that…
Alpha carotene is a cyclic carotene having beta and epsilon ring at opposite ends respectively. It is regarded as the second most common form of carotene. It acts as a provitamin A and a plant metabolite. It is a precursor to form Vitamin A in the body. Similar to beta-carotene, alpha-carotene is fat soluble and is consumed with some form of fat. Foods rich in alpha-carotene include orange vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin and winter squash. Other food sources include tomatoes, tangerines, sweet potatoes, napa cabbage, collards, bananas and avocados. Our body could convert alpha and beta-carotene into Vitamin A…
Beta-cryptoxanthin belongs to the class of carotenoids, specifically xanthophylls. In the human body, Beta-cryptoxanthin is converted to vitamin A (retinol) in human body and is considered to be a pro-vitamin A. It is a common carotenoid which is found in fruit, human blood and tissues. Foods with high content of beta-cryptoxanthin include persimmons, tangerines and oranges. It has assorted functions which are crucial for human health including roles in antioxidant defense as well as cell-to-cell communication. Beta-cryptoxanthin is a precursor of Vitamin A which is a crucial nutrient required for eyesight, development, growth and immune response. It acts as an…
Delta Tocotrienol is regarded to be the most powerful antioxidant of Vitamin E family. It also possesses anticancer effects. It is effective in accumulating in cells in comparison to other tocotrienols. It is an effective member of Vitamin E to lower endothelial expression of adhesion molecules by preventing accumulation of inflammatory cells within arterial walls. It is the potent tocotrienol in promoting cell deaths of human breast cancer cells. It also inhibit excessive aggregation of blood platelets effectively in comparison to Vitamin E and other tocotrienols. Food Sources Food name Weight (g) Delta Tocotrienol (mg) Paratha 79 0.90…
Four compounds with saturated tails are tocopherols and four compounds with unsaturated tails are tocotrienols. There are 4 dihydrocoumarin head sections which are acclaimed by one of four substitution patterns and entitled as α, β, γ, or δ. Gamma-Tocotrienol is one of the types of tocotrienol which is a type of vitamin E. In nature, Vitamin E exists in eight forms each of which consisting head section joined to either saturated or unsaturated tail. Gamma tocotrienol is found in high content in palm oil and rice bran and recent studies shows that tocotrienols acts as an effective antioxidant than α-tocopherol.…
β-Tocotrienol is a tocotrienol belonging to a member of vitamin E family. Food Sources Food name Weight (g) Beta Tocotrienol (mg) Pasta 91 2.54 Amaranth 193 0.93 Vegetable juice 254 0.86 Turkey 184 0.68 Cheese ravioli 454 0.68 Sandwich 184 0.66 Beef 190 0.63 Naan 90 0.62 Cheeseburger 182 0.60 Whole wheat bread 43 0.59 Wheat crackers 34 0.55 Hamburger 78 0.48 Bagels 99 0.47 Chicken 225 0.45 Bread 32 0.42 Cookies 28.35 0.34 Croissant 171 0.34 Paratha 79 0.32 Garlic bread 43 0.32 Onion rings 350 0.28
Alpha-tocotrienol is a tocotrienol which is chroman-6-ol substituted by methyl groups at positions 2, 5, 7 & 8 and a farnesyl chain at position 2. It is present in palm oil derived from Elaeis guineensis. It acts as a neuroprotective agent and also a plant metabolite. It is a vitamin E and tocotrienol. It could be found in blood plasma and all lipoprotein subfractions. History In 1964, Pennock and Whittle discovered tocotrienols describing an isolation of tocotrienols from rubber. In early 1980s, its biological significance was clearly delineated when its ability to reduce cholesterol was first reported by Elson and…