Therapeutical properties of ferulic acid and bioavailability enhancement through feruloyl esterase

Ferulic acid, known for its antioxidant, antidiabetic, anticancer and antihypertensive properties, is a hydroxycinnamic acid derivative ubiquitously present in the plant kingdom. Due to its health beneficial effects, food industries are improving their processed products by enrichment in ferulic acid. In this regard, importance of the enzyme feruloyl esterases, a major class of cell wall degrading enzymes, has attracted the attention of food processing industries owing to its ability to release bound ferulic acid making it available in free form. The therapeutic properties of ferulic acid have also instigated research towards exploration of unique feruloyl esterases for use in the development, and preparation of functional foods towards controlling age related diseases has been reviewed in this paper.