Monoterpenes: current knowledge on food source, metabolism, and health effects

Abstract

Monoterpenes, volatile metabolites produced by plants, are involved in the taste and aroma perception of fruits and vegetables and have been used for centuries in gastronomy, as food preservatives and for therapeutic purposes. Biological activities such as antimicrobial, analgesic and anti-inflammatory are well-established for some of these molecules. More recently, the ability of monoterpenes to regulate energy metabolism, and exert antidiabetic, anti-obesity and gut microbiota modulation activities have been described. Despite their promising health effects, the lack of reliable quantification of monoterpenes in food, hindered the investigation of their role as dietary bioactive compounds in epidemiological studies. Moreover, only few studies have documented the biotransformation of these compounds and identified the monoterpene metabolites with biological activity. This review presents up-to-date knowledge about the occurrence of monoterpenes in food, their bioavailability and potential role in the modulation of intermediate metabolism and inflammation, focusing on novel findings of molecular mechanisms, underlining research gaps and new avenues to be explored.

Keywords:

• Dietary monoterpenes
• energy metabolism
• metabolic syndrome
• monoterpene biotransformation

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank Michael Clifford and Alan Crozier for their assistance with the nomenclature of monoterpenes.

Additional information

Funding

The J.F.R.A. is grateful for the grant [2019/11324-8], B.L.C for the grant [2019/24267-2] and authors for the financial support [2013/07914-8] [2018/19189-0] to Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP). CM is grateful for the ANR grant [ANR-19-HDH2-0002-01], received for the FoodPhyt project under the umbrella of the European Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life” (JPI HDHL)”.