The beneficial effects of wine on human health may originate from their nonalcoholic components, such as flavanoids and phenols. Some phenolic compounds can be protective, whereas others have been found to be mutagenic at high doses in laboratory studies. Fazel and coworkers found that quercetin can induce mutation during in vitro culture of animal cells, but is an anticarcinogen in whole animal dietary studies. This anomaly may be due to the differences in the concentrations of quercetin used and the low level of metal ions and free oxygen found in the animal body. Subbaramaiah and coworkers observed that resveratrol, a member of the stilbene family found in wine, can inhibit the production of cyclooxygenase-2, thought to be important in carcinogenesis. As well, flavanols and flavones strongly reduce the action of the common dietary carcinogens such as the heterocyclic amines. In this regard, it is important to note that wines made from fruits such as cherry, blackberry and blueberry, and red grape show a very high complement of superoxide and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability due to the presence of several phenolic components.
The flavanoids are also strong inhibitors of calcium second messenger function in animal systems, and the biological activities of wines may, to a large extent, result from this activity. Recently, during in vitro culture, the flavonoid wine components have been shown to be specifically cytostatic and cytotoxic to MCF-7 cells, which are estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells. Under similar conditions, the normal human mammary epithelial cells were unaffected. Thus, by enhancing the components in the wine that afford health beneficial effects, the functional food value of the wine can be enhanced. Even though moderate wine consumption is believed to be beneficial to cardiovascular health, its effect on breast cancer development is still controversial. Several biotechnological approaches such as in vitro culture, genetic engineering of grapes for enhanced secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways, and conditions of fermentation could ultimately enhance the functional food value of the wine.
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