Raisins in human health: A review

Abstract

Abstract. In the last years, the scientific research in the field of non-alcoholic grape products has increased significantly. Raisins are often evaluated negatively from the nutritional point of view, mainly for their high sugar content. On the other hand, some in vitro and in vivo studies have suggested that raisins could have healthy effects due to their positive phytochemical profile. The aim of this work was the collection of scientific studies performed in humans to assess critically the health-promoting effects of raisins, as a part of the normal/Mediterranean diet. In most cases, the beneficial effects of raisins have been assessed in intervention studies focused on cardiovascular area, diabetes and oral health, where a decrease in postprandial glycemia and insulinemia both in diabetic and healthy subjects has been observed. The positive effects were generally evident after a short-term consumption of about 70 g/die of raisins in comparison to a similar quantity of snacks or glucose solution. Surprisingly, some positive findings were shown in oral health. On these bases several findings support the suitability of raisins as a source of healthy compounds for human diet, but limits in the data published till now clearly support the need of new specifically designed trials.

BRS Vitória grapes with natural surfactant pretreatment: evaluation of mineral composition, physical-chemical characteristics, and sensory characteristics after raisin production

“…TS and RS contents of 16.5 ± 0.00 and 15.3 ± 0.00 g of glucose 100 g -1 , found in the grapes, were significantly lower than those found in C (66.0 ± 2.4 and 65.9 ± 2.3 g of glucose 100 g -1 ) and in PR (69.3 ± 1.6 and 69.1 ± 0.6 g of glucose 100 g -1 ), respectively. Although the concentrated content of sugars in raisins has been a subject of debate, studies point to raisins as a good source of energy, with a lower glycemic index and promoting greater satiety when compared to other snacks (Restani et al, 2016;Jeszka-Skowron & Czarczyńska-Goślińska, 2020). In addition, their sugar content reveals their potential use in confectionery, adding nutritional value and flavor to different food products (Arshard et al, 2022;Soukoulis & Tzia, 2018).…”

Effect of Different Method of Drying of Five Varieties Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) on the Bunch Stem on Physicochemical, Microbiological, and Sensory Quality

“…Dried grapes have valuable nutritional properties because of high mineral, vitamin, and other bioactive substance content. Therefore, current research indicates that grape consumption has many health benefits such as the reduction of the risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, stroke, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic diseases [ 3 , 10 , 14 , 15 ]. The health benefit of vitamin C is clear; nevertheless, the effects of some phenolic polymers found in raisins, grapes, and wine in humans are still questionable [ 16 ].…”

Grapes and their derivatives in modulation of cognitive decline: a critical review of epidemiological and randomized-controlled trials in humans

“…to reduce polyphenol oxidase activation and preserve polyphenols. Raisins produced by both methods have demonstrated positive biological effects(Di Lorenzo et al 2016; …”