Rediscovering Medicinal Activity and Food Significance of Shogaol (4, 6, 8, 10, and 12): Comprehensive Review

Ginger Zingiber officinale Roscoe is a natural dietary rhizome. The plant is a herbaceous tropical monocotyledon perennial plant which belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and subfamily Zingiberoideae and possesses various biological properties and/or activities. Ginger has been reported to play several roles in ameliorating several health conditions which might be linked to the presence of numerous biological components including gingerols, gingerdiols, shogaols, paradols, and zingerones. However, shogaol has been found to be a major active component of ginger which exists in various forms such as 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, and 12-shogaol. Also, 6-shogaol has been discovered to be the most active component which possesses a non-pungent metabolite called 6-paradol. 6-Shogaol has various importance in the health, food, and beverage industries. The wide range of the usefulness of shogaol is associated with its taste, biocompatibility, and effect in ameliorating and/or preventing health challenges. Some uncountable medical benefits of shogaol include their application as anticancer drugs, antimicrobials, antioxidants, cardiovascular, anti-ulcer, and neuroprotective among others. Therefore, this review highlights recent advances and findings to the use of shogaol present as a bioactive substance in ginger and its wide application in medical, biological, and food industry.