Chlorogenic acid. Features and biochemical properties

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Coffee is loved by most people for its taste and tonic effect, but few people know that chlorogenic acid, which is part of it, plays the most important role in this extremely popular drink. The properties of this chemical compound largely form the range of rich aroma and exquisite taste, which are so admired by its many fans. In addition, this substance, according to recent scientific studies, brings our body a lot of biological and physiological dividends. However, first things first.

From the point of view of organic chemistry, chlorogenic acid is a depside with caffeine esterified hydroxyl at the third carbon atom of quinic acid. Such a chemical compound is present in many plants, but it is in coffee beans that it is of greatest importance due to their extreme prevalence. They contain about seven percentchlorogenic acid. It has recently been established that the leaves of eucommia, a deciduous tree reaching a height of twenty meters, can also serve as a good source of this substance.

Chlorogenic acid performs an important function in the enzymatic and oxidative processes of various plant cells. But it also brings a lot of benefits to our body. Chlorogenic acid, effectively and safely burning fat, contributes to the acquisition of a slender figure. In addition, this chemical compound improves the metabolic processes in the liver, which performs an important function of breaking down all the fats that enter our body. Chlorogenic acid also works as a specific blood sugar regulator.

It is this acid that is able to quickly convert excess fat reserves into clean energy, which is especially important for people who want to lose weight. Another useful quality of this substance is its ability to slow down the process of splitting carbohydrates, which can also be deposited in problem areas of the body (thighs, abdomen, sides) in the form of fat.

Chlorogenic acid was first discovered by the Russian botanist and public figure A. S. Famintsyn in 1893 on sections of sunflower cotyledons by means of a qualitative microchemical reaction. The wide distribution of this chemical compound among higher plants (it was found in 98 out of 230 samples studied) attracted the close attention of scientists who began to study its biological role inlife and development of plant organisms.

Thus, it was found that chlorogenic acid (you can buy it in its pure synthesized form, in which it is a white crystalline powder) takes an active part in the regulation of fetal maturation, acting as an inhibitor of oxidative phosphorylation. The chemical is also known to be extremely toxic to certain types of pathogens that cause many different plant diseases. For example, in rice, increased chlorogenic acid biosynthesis is a natural response to microbial infections.

Not long ago, Chinese scientists made an important medical discovery. After a series of studies, they found that this biologically active substance, due to its unique ability to block toxic proteins, could potentially become the basis of a drug for the prevention and treatment of diabetes.