Turmeric and Its Major Compound Curcumin on Health: Bioactive Effects and Safety Profiles for Food, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnological and Medicinal Applications

Abstract

Curcumin, a yellow polyphenolic pigment from the Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) rhizome, has been used for centuries for culinary and food coloring purposes, and as an ingredient for various medicinal preparations, widely used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine. In recent decades, their biological activities have been extensively studied. Thus, this review aims to offer an in-depth discussion of curcumin applications for food and biotechnological industries, and on health promotion and disease prevention, with particular emphasis on its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticancer, hepatoprotective, and cardioprotective effects. Bioavailability, bioefficacy and safety features, side effects, and quality parameters of curcumin are also addressed. Finally, curcumin's multidimensional applications, food attractiveness optimization, agro-industrial procedures to offset its instability and low bioavailability, health concerns, and upcoming strategies for clinical application are also covered.

Keywords: Curcuma longa L.; biotechnological applications; curcuma; curcuminoids; pharmacological effects; spice; turmeric.

Figure 1

Chemical structure of curcumin.

Figure 2

Global curcumin market by application.

Figure 3

Schematic illustration of curcumin biological activities.

Figure 4

Curcumin anti-inflammatory mechanisms (adapted from He et al., 2015).

Figure 5

Curcumin mechanism of action in neuroinflammation.

Figure 6

Neuroprotective mechanisms of curcumin in treating Parkinson’s disease (adapted from Wang et al., 2017).

Figure 7

Curcumin molecular targets in cancer cells.

Figure 8

Curcumin action on cardiovascular diseases (adapted from Li et al., 2019).