Importance of Vitamins and Minerals Vocabulary

Question 1

Carcinogen

Answer 1

a substance capable of causing cancer in living tissue.

Question 2

Allyl sulfides

Answer 2

Any of a number of compounds found in garlic and cruciferous vegetables that have chemopreventive activity, which is attributed to inhibition of nitrosamine activation by cytochrome P450s .

Question 3

Polyphenols

Answer 3

Polyphenols are a large family of naturally occurring organic compounds characterized by multiples of phenol units. They are abundant in plants and structurally diverse. Polyphenols include flavonoids, tannic acid, and ellagitannin, some of which have been used historically as dyes and for tanning garments

Question 4

Carotenoids

Answer 4

Carotenoids, also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, corn, tomatoes, canaries, flamingos, salmon, lobster, shrimp, and daffodils.

Question 5

Terpenes

Answer 5

Any unsaturated hydrocarbon with structure that is a result of the assembling of five-carbon isoprene units

Question 6

Saponins

Answer 6

also referred to selectively as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed but found particularly in soapwort

Question 7

Indoles

Answer 7

a crystalline alkaloid compound C 8H 7N that is a decomposition product of proteins containing tryptophan , that can be made synthetically, and that is used in perfumes

Question 8

Isomer

Answer 8

each of two or more compounds with the same formula but a different arrangement of atoms in the molecule and different properties

Question 9

Tannins

Answer 9

a yellowish or brownish bitter-tasting organic substance present in some galls, barks, and other plant tissues, consisting of derivatives of gallic acid, used in leather production and ink manufacture.

Question 10

Cruciferous

Answer 10

relating to or denoting plants of the cabbage family (Brassicaceae, formerly Cruciferae).

Question 11

Lycopene

Answer 11

a red carotenoid pigment present in tomatoes and many berries and fruits.

Question 12

Phytochemicals

Answer 12

any of various biologically active compounds found in plants.

Question 13

Zeaxanthin

Answer 13

a carotenoid present in the retina of the eye and in many plants, used as a food additive and supplement.

Question 14

Lutein

Answer 14

a deep yellow pigment of the xanthophyll class, found in the leaves of plants, in egg yolk, and in the corpus luteum.

Question 15

Isothiocyanates

Answer 15

Isothiocyanate is the chemical group –N=C=S, formed by substituting the oxygen in the isocyanate group with a sulfur. Many natural isothiocyanates from plants are produced by enzymatic conversion of metabolites called glucosinolates.

Question 16

Glucosinolates

Answer 16

constitute a natural class of organic compounds that contain sulfur and nitrogen and are derived from glucose and an amino acid. They are water- soluble anions and belong to the glucosides.

Question 17

Phytofluence

Answer 17

a polyene hydrocarbon C40H64 occurring with carotenoids in plants. a polyene hydrocarbon C40H64 occurring with carotenoids in plants

Question 18

Phytoene

Answer 18

is a 40-carbon intermediate in the biosynthesis of carotenoids. The synthesis of phytoene is the first committed step in the synthesis of carotenoids in plants.