| Summary: | Grape pomaces or vinification by-products are abundant and rich in polyphenols, particularly proanthocyanidins. During the last three decades, grape and wine polyphenols, particularly catechins (CATs) and oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) have attracted considerable attention of the international scientific community, due essentially to their potential health-beneficial effects, related to their protective action towards cardiovascular disease and the oxygen free radical scavenger capacity. Such phenolic compounds have been proved to be the key components responsible for the health-beneficial effects of red wine. Furthermore, although the most widely recognized antioxidants are Vitamins A, C, and E, scientific research has shown that OPCs are likely the most powerful antioxidants known. Although various OPCs have been available in the market, they are generally very expensive due to the high cost of their production. As a consequence, the development of efficient methods for large-scale preparation of these bioactive compounds have still a challenging task for scientists. In this communication, we will present a new and efficient technology for large preparation of bioactive polyphenols from vinification by-products (grape seed and grape skin). On one hand, polymeric proanthocyanidins were transformed into a series of low- molecule-weight bioactive compounds using various degradation methods. On the other hand, High-Speed Countcurrent Chromatography (HSCCC), as a relative new separation technology for natural product preparation, was applied to large and efficient isolation of these bioactive compounds.
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