The nutraceutical potential of cinnamon

Cinnamon is a common species well appreciated due to its unique flavor and taste, it is consumed in tea preparations from harvested sticks or as specified in pulverized. It is largely accepted worldwide for many centuries, its flavor is mainly attributed to its chemical composition where cinnamaldehyde plays an important role not only as a flavor source, it also has a remarkable antioxidant effect that scavenges Radical Oxygen Species (ROS) responsible of cancer. Other compounds as trans-cinnamic acid and polyphenols as proanthocyanidins confer to cinnamon important biological activities such as antifungal (against Aspergillus flavus), antibacterial (against Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus), antiosteoporotic, emmenagogue, reductor agent of blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglycerides levels enhancing agent of HDL cholesterol levels, antiinflammatory agent and other interesting activities. Cinnamon also has been used in the treatment of nausea, diarrhea, diabetes, frigidity, cough, rheumatism, neuralgia, vaginitis. Nevertheless, secondary effects may be observed if it is consumed in larges amounts due to the presence of coumarins, although there are more benefits than secondary effects. Also, emerging technologies are using microencapsulation techniques to preserve cinnamon characteristics because many bioactive compounds are volatile. © 2020 Nova Science Publishers, Inc.

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