Chapter 7: Resveratrol: Recent Advances and Applications in Functional and Nutraceutical Foods

Foods designed and consumed for purposes other than meeting basic nutritional requirements are referred to as functional foods. Resveratrol is a stilbenoid that can be found as cis- and trans-resveratrol stereoisomers of the central ethylene moiety in its structure. Resveratrol is involved in lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, DNA oxidation, resveratrol scavenging mechanisms, reduction of ROS/RNS production, intracellular antioxidant defense systems, and signaling pathway regulation; furthermore, it also plays a role in both direct and indirect antioxidant defense mechanisms. Although research focuses on the different mechanisms of health effects related to resveratrol, the main effects are due to the stability and solubility of trans-resveratrol. Moreover, many external factors, such as light, air exposure, oxidative enzymes, pH, and temperature, might have effects on the stability and solubility of trans-resveratrol.