Book description
In recent years, the role of plant secondary metabolites as protective
constituents in the human diet has been a growing area of research.
Unlike the traditional vitamins, they are not essential for short-term
wellbeing, but there is increasing evidence that modest long-term
intakes can have favourable impacts on the incidence of cancers and many
chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes,
which are occurring in Western populations with increasing frequency.
This book covers the latest science on the metabolism and potential
health benefits of teas, cocoa, coffee and their extracts in the human
diet. From an opening chapter tracing the origins of teas, cocoa and
coffee as beverage, the book proceeds to explore the phytochemical
content of coffee, cocoa and the various types of tea. The
bioavailability of secondary metabolites from each of the beverages is
then considered in depth, and related directly to their health
benefits. Embracing the full range of tea, coffee and cocoa beverages
and products, the book offers the most up-to-date and comprehensive
treatment of these increasingly important dietary components.
As the only book to bring together the latest information on the
biochemistry and health benefits of teas, coffee and cocoa, this book
is essential reading for food scientists and technologists involved in
the production of tea, coffee and cocoa products. Nutritionists will
value the book's health focus, while agricultural scientists working
on the cultivation of these crops will prize its scope and depth of
detail. It is also an important resource for all those who use
functional ingredients in other products, whether they are based in
industry or research.
Alan Crozier is Professor of Plant Biochemistry
and Human Nutrition at the University of Glasgow, UK.
Hiroshi Ashihara is Professor of Plant Biochemistry at
Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan.
Francisco Tomás-Barbéran is Research Professor of the Spanish
Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in the CEBAS Institute, Murcia,
Spain.
