Benders'dictionary of nutrition and food technology

192aromatic oils, and numerous plastids which are green and containchlorophyll in the unripe fruit, turning yellow or orange in theripe fruit, when they contain carotene and xanthophyll.flavin The group of compounds containing the iso-alloxazine ringstructure, as in riboflavin (vitamin b 2 ); a general term forriboflavin derivatives.flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) A coenzyme in oxidationreactions, derived from vitamin b 2 , phosphate, ribose andadenine.flavin mononucleotide (FMN) A coenzyme in oxidation reactions,chemically the phosphate of vitamin b 2 (riboflavin).flavone See flavonoids.flavonoids (bioflavonoids) Polyphenolic compounds widely distributedin plants where they are responsible for colour, taste andsmell as well as attracting or repelling insects and microorganisms.Some 4000 have been identified, with a wide range ofchemical properties. They occur as glycosides in which the sugarmoiety is usually glucose or rhamnose.FLAVONOIDSAt one time a mixture of flavonoids was shown to decreasecapillary permeability and fragility in human beings and wasnamed vitamin P, but later, 1950, when it was found that they arenot dietary essentials, the name was dropped.More recently there has been epidemiological evidence fromobservations in population groups with a high intake of fruits andvegetables that flavonoids may have a role in protection againstsome forms of cancer. Some are antioxidants and may help toprevent atherosclerosis; others have weak oestrogen activity(phytoestrogens) and have been associated with lower incidenceof breast, uterus and prostate cancer.