SPECIAL GUEST EDITOR SECTION Phenolics in Mediterranean and Middle East Important Fruits Moawiya A. Haddad, 1 Jafar El-Qudah, 1 Saeid Abu-Romman, 2 Maher Obeidat, 3 Candela Iommi, 4 and Da’san M. M. Jaradat 5 1 Department of Nutrition and Food Processing, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan, 2 Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan, 3 Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan, 4 Food Safety Consultant, Via Aselli 14, Milan 20133, Italy, 5 Department of Chemistry, Al-Balqa Applied University, Al-Salt 19117, Jordan Corresponding author’s e-mail: haddad@edu.bau.jo Abstract Background: Phenolic compounds (polyphenols) are common plant secondary metabolites playing different roles in plants, and some of these vegetables and correlated fruits—figs, grapes, pomegranates, olives, date palms, etc.—contain remarkable and diversified amounts of these substances. In addition, polyphenols are reported to show positive effects for human health, because of their antioxidant behavior. Figs are an excellent source of polyphenols with highest concentrations of proanthocyanidins. Actually, figs contain higher amounts of polyphenols than red wine and tea. Objective: Antioxidant activity of several flavonoids (a group of polyphenols) in figs is higher than that of, vitamin C, glutathione, or vitamin E. Pomegranates contain very high levels of polyphenols as compared to other fruits and vegetables. It is used in folklore medicine for the treatment of various diseases, such as hepatic damage, snakebite, ulcer, etc. Method: The health-positive potential of pomegranate fruit has been mainly attributed to ellagitannins, the predominant class of phenolics in pomegoxidation. Results: The chief phenolic compound found in fresh olive is the bitter secoiridoid oleuropein.. Conclusions: Processing of table olive decreases levels of oleuropein with correlated increases in the hydrolysis of hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. Many of the health benefits reported for olives are thought to be associated with the levels of hydroxytyrosol. Date palm represents a staple food in most of the Arabian countries and is commonly consumed in several parts of the world. Highlights: Numerous researches revealed the antibacterial, anti-hyperlipidemic, hepatoprotective, antimutagenic, and nephroprotective activity of date fruits, with reported anticancer and anti-fungal features. Phenolic compounds (polyphenols) are common plant second- ary metabolites playing different roles in plants. In addition, these variegated molecules—flavones, flavonols, anthocyani- dins, anthocyanins, etc.—are reported to show positive effects for human health, because of their antioxidant behavior. Actually, polyphenols also have been widely researched for many years because of their peculiar properties concerning non-health topics: mandatory requirement in different coun- tries and economic areas, analytical legally binding procedures and validated methods of analysis, economic matters, export and import transactions, etc. (1–9). The possible presence of undeclared allergens and related menaces are often correlated with many active principles and mixtures containing sugars, natural substances, and polyphenols also, with the result that typical vegetable molecules may be found in different food preparations (10–18). The recent interest in phenolics is generally linked with their biosynthetic origin from vegetable species. Consequently, Received: 15 October 2019; Revised: 6 November 2019; Accepted: 7 November 2019 V C AOAC INTERNATIONAL 2020. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com 930 Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, 103(4), 2020, 930–934 doi: 10.1093/jaocint/qsz027 Advance Access Publication Date: 3 May 2020 Article Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jaoac/article/103/4/930/5828328 by guest on 20 October 2022