A journey in the Polyphenol research world with Ragai Ibrahim

Dr Ragai Ibrahim, Professor Emeritus at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, passed away on the 19th November 2017 at the age of 88 years. Dr Ibrahim dedicated his entire professional life to polyphenols and spent most of his academic career (1967 - 1997) at the Department of Biology of Concordia University in Montreal. He has been an active member of the Group Polyphenols since the beginning. This paper is a tribute to Ragai Ibrahim from some of his former students. An overview of the evolution of polyphenols research since the late fifties and of the outstanding contribution that Dr Ragai K. Ibrahim had to this topic is given. The input of Dr Ibrahim’s research to the enzymology and genetics of polyphenol biosynthesis is discussed. Furthermore, the links between Dr Ibrahim’s work and some aspects of the modern studies on the health benefits of polyphenols is presented.