Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites that are quite widespread in nature. They play several physiological roles in plants where they occur, but many of them are also favorable to human health because of their antioxidant activity. Phenolic have one or more hydroxyl groups on the aromatic skeleton. Phenols represent group of compound that have more than one phenolic hydroxyl group attachéd to one or more benzene rings.
 |
| Structure of mangiferin |
Phenolics can exhibit simple structures such as arbutin, or complex ones such as those characteristics of the tannin class. They are most frequently linked to sugars, which render themselves polar compounds, or they can be permethylated or methoxylated, becoming nonpolar compounds as what happens with flavonoids found in cuticular waxes.
They provide essential functions in the reproduction and the growth of the plants; acting as defense mechanism against pathogens, parasites and predators; as well as contributing to the color of plants.
Phenolic compounds make an important contribution to the antioxidant capacity of mango. The main phenolic compounds identified in commercial mango puree concentrate were gallic acid, mangiferin, seven different quercetin and five kaempferol glycosides, and many uncharacterized hydrolyzable tannins, called gallotannins.
The phenolic compounds of the mango juice comprise mostly of phenolic acids, followed by flavan-3-ols and flavonols.
Phenolic compounds
