Biotechnological and health promoting properties of flavonols: an update view

Flavonols are a subclass of natural flavonoids present in the plant kingdom and are one of the most studied and characterized compounds due to their relative high abundance in fruit and vegetables[1,2]. They recently gained researchers’ attention due to their unquestionable effects on humans for their health-promoting properties, as shown also by epidemiological studies without side effects. All these elements make them suitable candidates for the valorization of food products, especially functional foods and dietary supplements, based on the presence of a very high number of different compounds belonging to the subclasses of flavonols, with specific chemical features able to perform different biological roles[2-4]. Moreover, special attention has to be paid to the biochemical and biological characteristics of these molecules, able to modify signal cascade, activation/blocks of key enzymes for metabolic changes of nutrients’ flux, as well as their epigenetic modulation inside living organisms[2-5]. In literature, for instance, it is possible to found a plethora of works on quercetin, the most iconic molecule belonging to the subclass of flavonols, in which it is clearly state its involvement in the modulation of both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, with changes in proteasome profile and MicroRNAs[2-5]. Taken together these features make flavonols one of the most promising compounds to clarify the increasing interest in the use of phytochemicals, especially in the actual biotechnological applications, resulting in the production of fortified foods and health-promoting products in processing industries.