Phenolcalc: Facilitating the calculation of polyphenols in foods

Abstract

Introduction: Due to the proven beneficial activities, interest in polyphenols has increased and consequently, interest in determining the distribution and quantity of these compounds in foods has also increased. Objective: To develop a tool to facilitate the estimation of polyphenols in food-specific portions using data from the online database Phenol-Explorer 3.6 (2016). Methods: Microsoft Excel® software (version 2013) was used to develop the study and data collected on the Phenol- Explorer 3.6 online platform (version 2016). Data from various foods and their corresponding phenolic compounds were entered into the Excel spreadsheet. By applying the required formulas to each data point, it is possible to obtain the final value of the amount of phenolic compound for a specific food. Results: The generated material was composed of two workbooks: "Phenol-Explorer - 2016", which included the restructured data from the online database showing the content of phenolic compounds in various foods and "Estimation of polyphenols", intended for users who want to quantitatively estimate the amount of phenolic compounds present in food, organized into six meals a day. Discussion: Many software applications are currently designed to speed up the tedious daily activities of its users. Although these programs contribute to nutritional planning, they do not have the functionality to calculate the amounts of polyphenols that have been consumed and / or will be offered at meals. Conclusions: "PhenolCalc" allows fast and simplified estimation of polyphenols in foods and meals. Such a tool would contribute to the popularization of the analysis of these compounds at the food planning level. This is important due to the scientifically established relationship between polyphenol intake and health promotion.