Flavonoids

Flavonoids are a group of phytonutrients found in all plants on the planet. Functions of these chemicals in plants include UV protection, defense against invasive pathogens, pigmentation, and signaling in symbiosis. This group of chemicals can be broken down further into subgroups based on the makeup of their chemical structures. In foods, flavonoids are full of natural antioxidants and can be found in a multitude of food types.

Chemical structures

Six subgroups of Flavonoids separated by chemical structure [1]

All flavonoids consist of phenolic and pyrane rings and are generally insoluble. [2]

Presence in foods

Flavonoids are present in many foods including blueberries, cocoa beans, strawberries, and aloe vera plants

References

Kyle, J.A.M. et al. Flavonoids, chemistry, biochemistry and applications. In Flavonoids in Foods. Anderson, O.M. et al., Ed. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Fl. 2006