Red Beet Essay

1. Antioxidant Compounds in Red Beet
Excessive formation of free radicals such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) occur as a byproduct of cellular metabolism. Free radical generation causes oxidative stress which has been associated with undesirable health effects (Valko et al., 2007). Antioxidants are needed when ROS are generated inside the body, as the first line of defense (Lobo et al., 2010). Halliwell & Gutteridge (2015) describe an antioxidant as “any substance that delays, prevents or removes oxidative damage to target molecules” (Halliwell & Gutteridge, 2015). In a normal cell, there is an appropriate balance between the generation of free radicals and the amount of antioxidants present under normal physiological conditions. The human body can supply endogenous antioxidants that are generated by its own metabolic processes (). However, the amount of endogenous antioxidants available under the normal physiological conditions is sufficient only to deal with the normal threshold of a physiological rate of free radical production (). Therefore, exogenous antioxidants, obtained from a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, cereals, legumes, and animal derived food are required when the normal threshold for free radicals is exceeded. Antioxidant properties of natural
It has become apparent that this root vegetable contains a significant amount of antioxidant compounds and other compounds associated with positive antimicrobial health effects. To date, betalains and phenolic compounds are found to be the major antioxidants present in the red beet (Vulić et al., 2014). Furthermore, these antioxidants have been employed in various in-vivo and in-vitro studies investigating the treatment of chronic diseases () and have been present in red beet extracts used in antimicrobial studies