Phenolics and polyphenolics in mangrove plants: antioxidant activity and recent trends in food application – a review

Mangrove plants represent an interesting source of bioactive molecules that may be valuable for human use and especially for applications in the food sector. Phenolic compounds, ubiquitous in mangrove plants, are of considerable interest due to their antioxidant properties and other potential beneficial effects. This contribution aimed at gathering and emphasizing all recent works performed to unravel their antioxidant activities and use in food to improve food quality and extend shelf life. Food industries and food technologists may express a huge interest in their exploitation and valorization. Indeed, their addition and/or incorporation in food would allow to control off-flavor development, retard the formation of toxic oxidation products such as primary and secondary oxidation substances, maintain and improve nutritional quality, and to improve the shelf-life of foods. Based on the safety concerns and limitations on the use of synthetic antioxidants, their replacement with natural antioxidants provides a viable alternative.