50
4 Bioactive Features of Yerba Mate Infusions: Alkaloids, Phenolics …
4.1 Safety and Health Features of Yerba Mate
From the safety viewpoint, the chemical composition of different yerba mate products
can be considered as the key for the correct interpretation of many claimed safety
properties ascribed to I. paraguariensis. In this ambit, the daily intake of active
principles is important enough, but the qualitative identification of these molecules is
critical (also ins relation to the identification of chemical classes and sub-typologies).
In addition, it has to be remembered that yerba mate is not consumed ‘as it is’: all
available researches carried out so far are always related to hot and cold infusions
(generally named mate, chimarrão, and tererê) (Matta 2019).
As discussed in Chap. 3, the approximate quantitative profile of the main bioactive
classes found in yerba mate infusions (Barbosa et al. 2015; Bastos et al. 2007;
Botanical-Online SL 2019; Heck and De Mejia 2007; Matta 2019; Schneider 2017)
should comprehend the following groups:
(a) Polyphenols. In relation to this broad group, the main representative compounds in yerba mate are: chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, 4,5dicaffeoylquinic acid, quercetin, and rutin.
(b) Xanthines (purine alkaloids). In this group, the most important active principles are (in descending order): caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, and
trigonelline.
(c) Saponins (natural glycosides). In this class, the most studied molecules are five
matesaponins.
(d) Minerals. In detail, and with the exclusion of calcium and magnesium, the
main representative of trace elements seems to be manganese.
(e) Vitamins. In detail, the following vitamins have been found in yerba mate:
panthotenic acid, choline, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and vitamin C.
The following sections discuss the main health properties correlated with these
categories and main representative active principles, with the exclusion of vitamins
which can be found in a plethora of non-I. paraguariensis vegetable species.
4.2 Health and Polyphenols
In general, polyphenols and minerals are claimed to have important functions when
speaking of human health (and, naturally, human nutrition as a synergic and collateral therapy for human diseases). In relation to yerba mate, the popularity and the
traditional consumption of hot and cold infusions have been always accompanied
with folk histories and claimed health effects (Matta 2019). In general, these properties are correlated with antioxidant power, and polyphenols are certainly one of
the most promising natural substances with similar features (Barbera 2020; Barbieri
et al. 2019; Bhagat et al. 2019; Delgado et al. 2016, 2019; Haddad and Parisi 2020;
Haddad et al. 2020a, b; Issaoui et al. 2020; Matta 2019; Parisi 2016, 2019, 2020;
4 Bioactive Features of Yerba Mate Infusions: Alkaloids, Phenolics …
4.1 Safety and Health Features of Yerba Mate
From the safety viewpoint, the chemical composition of different yerba mate products
can be considered as the key for the correct interpretation of many claimed safety
properties ascribed to I. paraguariensis. In this ambit, the daily intake of active
principles is important enough, but the qualitative identification of these molecules is
critical (also ins relation to the identification of chemical classes and sub-typologies).
In addition, it has to be remembered that yerba mate is not consumed ‘as it is’: all
available researches carried out so far are always related to hot and cold infusions
(generally named mate, chimarrão, and tererê) (Matta 2019).
As discussed in Chap. 3, the approximate quantitative profile of the main bioactive
classes found in yerba mate infusions (Barbosa et al. 2015; Bastos et al. 2007;
Botanical-Online SL 2019; Heck and De Mejia 2007; Matta 2019; Schneider 2017)
should comprehend the following groups:
(a) Polyphenols. In relation to this broad group, the main representative compounds in yerba mate are: chlorogenic acid, gallic acid, 4,5dicaffeoylquinic acid, quercetin, and rutin.
(b) Xanthines (purine alkaloids). In this group, the most important active principles are (in descending order): caffeine, theobromine, theophylline, and
trigonelline.
(c) Saponins (natural glycosides). In this class, the most studied molecules are five
matesaponins.
(d) Minerals. In detail, and with the exclusion of calcium and magnesium, the
main representative of trace elements seems to be manganese.
(e) Vitamins. In detail, the following vitamins have been found in yerba mate:
panthotenic acid, choline, riboflavin, pyridoxine, and vitamin C.
The following sections discuss the main health properties correlated with these
categories and main representative active principles, with the exclusion of vitamins
which can be found in a plethora of non-I. paraguariensis vegetable species.
4.2 Health and Polyphenols
In general, polyphenols and minerals are claimed to have important functions when
speaking of human health (and, naturally, human nutrition as a synergic and collateral therapy for human diseases). In relation to yerba mate, the popularity and the
traditional consumption of hot and cold infusions have been always accompanied
with folk histories and claimed health effects (Matta 2019). In general, these properties are correlated with antioxidant power, and polyphenols are certainly one of
the most promising natural substances with similar features (Barbera 2020; Barbieri
et al. 2019; Bhagat et al. 2019; Delgado et al. 2016, 2019; Haddad and Parisi 2020;
Haddad et al. 2020a, b; Issaoui et al. 2020; Matta 2019; Parisi 2016, 2019, 2020;