Asian Scientist (Aug. 14, 2013) – Scientists have long espoused the health benefits of red wine. Now chemists have discovered 23 new molecules that could mean there are even more vino virtues.
In their research, published in Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, scientists in Australia and Canada have carried out a “fishing expedition” to obtain a more complete profile of the molecules present in red wine.
The team knew that molecules called stilbenoids, which are believed to have health benefits, were present in red wine.
However, through their analysis, they were surprised to find a total of 41 stilbenoid compounds, 23 of which have never before been detected in red wine.
According to the researchers, the discovery could lead to medical breakthroughs and perhaps more conclusive benefits of drinking wine in moderation.
These 23 newly discovered molecules are related to resveratrol, a natural wine chemical found in the skin of red grapes known to have potential effects of preventing aging-related human diseases.
“These new molecules are likely to have very interesting biological properties and may contribute to the benefits from drinking red wine,” said Associate Professor Cédric Saucier, senior author of the study.
“Who knows where this could lead? Perhaps new drugs and medicine for the future?”
The article can be found at: Moss et al. (2013) Investigation Of Monomeric And Oligomeric Wine Stilbenoids In Red Wines By Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Electrospray Ionization Quadrupole Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.
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Source: UBC; Photo: angelocesare/Flickr/CC.
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