Abstract
Curcumin, a yellow polyphenolic pigment from the Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) rhizome, has been used for centuries for culinary and food coloring purposes, and as an ingredient for various medicinal preparations, widely used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. In recent decades, their biological activities have been extensively studied. Thus, this review aims to offer an in-depth discussion of curcumin applications for food and biotechnological industries, and on health promotion and disease prevention, with particular emphasis on its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticancer, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective effects. Bioavailability, bioefficacy and safety features, side effects, and quality parameters of curcumin are also addressed. Finally, curcumin’s multidimensional applications, food attractiveness optimization, agro-industrial procedures to offset its instability and low bioavailability, health concerns, and upcoming strategies for clinical application are also covered.
Highlights
A Brief Overview of Curcuma SpeciesThe Curcuma genus has a long history of medicinal applications (Akarchariya et al, 2017; Dosoky and Setzer, 2018), being composed of approximately 120 species
This review focus on curcumin for food and biotechnological applications, health promotion, and disease prevention
Curcumin has a long history of use as a culinary spice and food dye, and even as an ingredient for multiple medicinal preparations in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine
Summary
The Curcuma genus has a long history of medicinal applications (Akarchariya et al, 2017; Dosoky and Setzer, 2018), being composed of approximately 120 species. Among the Curcuma species, Curcuma longa L. Rhizomes are the most commonly used plant part (Lakshmi et al, 2011), composed of a wide variety of compounds, including the bioactive non-volatile curcuminoids (curcumin, dimethoxy-, and bisdemethoxy-curcumin) and the compounds present in volatile oil (mono and sesquiterpenoids) (Itokawa et al, 2008; Lobo et al, 2009). About 31 Curcuma species have been studied, at which the most studied and relevant are turmeric (C. longa) and zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe) (Dosoky and Setzer, 2018)
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