Functionality of Food Phytochemicals

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-ix

   PDF

2. Peeling the Onion

   • Eric Block, Elizabeth M. Calvey, Charles W. Gillies, Jennifer Z. Gillies, Peter Uden

   Pages 1-30

3. Health Promoting Phytochemicals in Citrus Fruit and Juice Products

   • Antonio Montanari, Wilbur Widmer, Steven Nagy

   Pages 31-52

4. Chemopreventive Agents in Foods

   • Bozidar Stavric

   Pages 53-87

5. Constituents of Wild Food Plants

   • Angela Sotelo

   Pages 89-111

6. Biology and Biochemistry of Underground Plant Storage Organs

   • Hector E. Flores, Tere Flores

   Pages 113-132

7. Behavioral Determinants for the Ingestion of Food Phytochemicals

   • Timothy Johns

   Pages 133-154

8. Phytochemicals and Wine Flavor

   • Susan E. Ebeler

   Pages 155-178

9. Flavor Biogeneration

   • J. Crouzet

   Pages 179-200

10. Food Colorants from Plant Cell Cultures

    • François Cormier

    Pages 201-222

11. Transgenic Manipulation of Edible Oilseeds

    • Toni Voelker

    Pages 223-236

12. Quantitative Microscopic Approaches to Carbohydrate Characterization and Distribution in Cereal Grains

    • R. Gary Fulcher, S. Shea Miller, R. Roger Ruan

    Pages 237-261

13. Back Matter

    Pages 263-273

    PDF

Phytochemists are aware that their focus of interest is receiving attention from a wider segment of society and from a greater diversity of disciplines within the scientific community than ever before. Nonetheless, they were bemused to learn three years ago that "until recently scientists didn't even know phytochemi­ cals existed" (Newsweek, April 24, 1994). Changing public perception of the positive contributions of phytochemicals to human well-being has foundations in scientific advances. With popular reports emphasizing the important implica­ tions of phytochemicals in the daily lives of people, there is a pressing need for those working in this area to explain their diverse scientific activities to the public. Chemicals from plant foods are linked through epidemiological and ex­ perimental studies with reduced incidence of chronic degenerative diseases. Phytomedicines, standardized according to particular constituents, are making increasing contributions to health care. Naturally occurring constituents of plants are recognized as fundamental to the appeal, quality, and marketability of food products. In light of such developments, perceptions by phytochemists of their own discipline and its applications are expanding. Until recently, food phyto­ chemistry largely implied food toxicants. Food plants were familiar, but seldom the source of novel economically important compounds. Increasingly sophisti­ cated methods of analysis, however, have opened new opportunities for under­ standing the nature and functions offood constituents, and for manipulating them to improve the quality, acceptability, and value of food products.

• biochemistry
• biology
• cell culture
• chemistry
• development
• plant
• plants

• McGill University, Quebec, Canada

  Timothy Johns

• University of South Florida, Tampa, USA

  John T. Romeo

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