Ferulic acid: pharmaceutical functions, preparation and applications in foods

TLDR

Ferulic acid is a ubiquitous, low‑toxicity phenolic acid found in many Chinese medicinal herbs and plant species, known for antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti‑inflammatory, anti‑thrombotic, anti‑cancer, cardioprotective, cholesterol‑lowering, and sperm‑viability‑enhancing effects, and is widely used in food and cosmetic products. The study aims to develop a prospective pathway for preparing ferulic acid from plant cell wall polysaccharides. Ferulic acid serves as a raw material for vanillin and preservatives, a cross‑linking agent for food gels and edible films, and an ingredient in sports foods and skin‑protection agents, and can be produced via chemical synthesis or biological transformation. © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry.

Abstract

Abstract Ferulic acid (4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxycinnamic acid), an effective component of Chinese medicine herbs such as Angelica sinensis, Cimicifuga heracleifolia and Lignsticum chuangxiong , is a ubiquitous phenolic acid in the plant kingdom. It is mainly conjugated with mono‐ and oligosaccharides, polyamines, lipids and polysaccharides and seldom occurs in a free state in plants. Ferulic acid is a phenolic acid of low toxicity; it can be absorbed and easily metabolized in the human body. Ferulic acid has been reported to have many physiological functions, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti‐inflammatory, anti‐thrombosis, and anti‐cancer activities. It also protects against coronary disease, lowers cholesterol and increases sperm viability. Because of these properties and its low toxicity, ferulic acid is now widely used in the food and cosmetic industries. It is used as the raw material for the production of vanillin and preservatives, as a cross‐linking agent for the preparation of food gels and edible films, and as an ingredient in sports foods and skin protection agents. Ferulic acid can be prepared by chemical synthesis and through biological transformation. As polysaccharide ferulate is a natural and abundant source of ferulic acid, preparation of ferulic acid from plant cell wall materials will be a prospective pathway. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry