Distribution of catechins in Japanese seaweeds

Catechins belong to a small group of polyphenolic compounds present in a wide variety of plant species. Since a high concentration of catechins was found in tea leaves and tea extracts in early studies of catechins, many researchers have been interested in tea and its physiological effects on our health. Many reports describe the characteristics of catechins in tea as important antioxidative components of food. In contrast, one of the authors (YY) previously reported that some flavonoids had both antioxidant and pro-oxidant activities under certain conditions. 2 There are many studies reporting catechin composition in tea, 3,4 wine, 5,6 cacao, 7,8 fruit and vegetables. 9-11 However, there was no previous information on the presence of catechins in various seaweeds. The purpose of this research is to understand the catechin distribution in Japanese seaweeds.