Bioactive Compounds, Functional Ingredients, Antioxidants, and Health Benefits of Edible Plants


Book Description

Edible plants are rich in bioactive compounds that have physiological effects such as anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. Natural plant extracts are frequently used to prolong the shelf life of fresh and processed foods, therefore preserving their quality and safety. Phytochemical studies of extracts and biological activities of various plant organs are also important in the food and human nutrition industries. They have the potential to pave the path for the commercialization of other plants by developing new applications for the food sector. Plant bioactive compounds represent a promising research objective for plant breeders, producers and food processing industries.




Plant-Based Functional Foods and Phytochemicals


Book Description

Plant-Based Functional Foods and Phytochemicals: From Traditional Knowledge to Present Innovation covers the importance of the therapeutic health benefits of phytochemicals derived from plants. It discusses the isolation of potential bioactive molecules from plant sources along with their value to human health. It focuses on physical characteristics, uniqueness, uses, distribution, traditional and nutritional importance, bioactivities, and future trends of different plant-based foods and food products. Functional foods, beyond providing basic nutrition, may offer a potentially positive effect on health and cures for various disease conditions, such as metabolic disorders (including diabetes), cancer, and chronic inflammatory reactions. The volume looks at these natural products and their bioactive compounds that are increasingly utilized in preventive and therapeutic medications and in the production of pharmaceutical supplements and as food additives to increase functionality. It also describes the concept of extraction of bioactive molecules from plant sources, both conventional and modern extraction techniques, available sources, biochemistry, structural composition, and potential biological activities.




Current Advances for Development of Functional Foods Modulating Inflammation and Oxidative Stress


Book Description

Current Advances for Development of Functional Foods Modulating Inflammation and Oxidative Stress presents the nutritional and technological aspects related to the development of functional foods with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Specifically, analytical approaches for the characterization of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of healthy foods and functional constituents, as well as technological strategies for the extraction of compounds and fractions from raw materials to produce anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients are addressed. In addition, the molecular mechanisms by which foods and their components can modulate inflammation and their oxidative stress effects on disease prevention are explored. Finally, clinical research addressing nutritional needs in pathological subjects with inflammatory diseases are considered. - Covers methods of analysis and extraction of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds - Offers an overview of the main anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds in foods - Provides a guide on the mechanisms of action and health benefits of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant dietary bioactives




Functional and Preservative Properties of Phytochemicals


Book Description

Functional and Preservative Properties of Phytochemicals examines the potential of plant-based bioactive compounds as functional food ingredients and preservative agents against food-spoiling microbes and oxidative deterioration. The book provides a unified and systematic accounting of plant-based bioactive compounds by illustrating the connections among the different disciplines, such as food science, nutrition, pharmacology, toxicology, combinatorial chemistry, nanotechnology and biotechnological approaches. Chapters present the varied sources of raw materials, biochemical properties, metabolism, health benefits, preservative efficacy, toxicological aspect, safety and Intellectual Property Right issue of plant-based bioactive compounds. Written by authorities within the field, the individual chapters of the book are organized according to the following practical and easy to consult format: introduction, chapter topics and text, conclusions (take-home lessons), and references cited for further reading. - Provides collective information on recent advancements that increase the potential use of phytochemicals - Fosters an understanding of plant-based dietary bioactive ingredients and their physiological effects on human health at the molecular level - Thoroughly explores biotechnology, omics, and bioinformatics approaches to address the availability, cost, and mode of action of plant-based functional and preservative ingredients




Bioactive Compounds in Nutraceutical and Functional Food for Good Human Health


Book Description

Bioactive compounds are abundant in nature, particularly in plants, which have the capacity to synthesize phenolics, flavonoids, caffeine, carotenoids, and much more. Different bioactive compounds can change or alter the life process due to their different biological activities. This book examines bioactive compounds and their sources, structures, and potential uses in various industries, including pharmaceuticals, medicine, cosmetics, and food processing.




Plant Foods and Underutilized Fruits as Source of Functional Food Ingredients


Book Description

Changes in lifestyle and demographics shifted preferences about the relationships between food and health, contributing to generate new needs in the food supply. Today, the role of food is not only intended as hunger satisfaction and nutrient supply, but also as an opportunity to prevent nutrition-related diseases and improve physical and mental well-being. There is a growing interest in the novel or less well known plant foods that offer an opportunity for health maintenance. This book shows that an interest in plant foods and underutilized fruits is continuously growing, and agrobiodiversity exploitation offers effective and extraordinary potentialities. Readers will discover that plant foods could become an important source of health-promoting compounds and functional food ingredients with beneficial properties. The description of the quality and physicochemical traits, the identification and quantification of the main biologically active compounds, and the evaluation of their biological activities are important to assess plant food efficacy as functional foods or a source of food supplement ingredients for the consumers.




Nutraceutical and Functional Food Components


Book Description

Nutraceutical and Functional Food Components: Effects of Innovative Processing Techniques, Second Edition highlights the impact of recent food industry advances on the nutritional value, functional properties, applications, bioavailability, and bioaccessibility of food components. This second edition also assesses shelf-life, sensory characteristics, and the profile of food products. Covering the most important groups of food components, including lipids, proteins, peptides and amino acids, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamins, aromatic compounds, minerals, glucosinolates, enzymes, this book addresses processing methods for each. Food scientists, technologists, researchers, nutritionists, engineers and chemists, agricultural scientists, other professionals working in the food industry, as well as students studying related fields, will benefit from this updated reference. - Focuses on nutritional value, functional properties, applications, bioavailability and bioaccessibility of food components - Covers food components by describing the effects of thermal and non-thermal technologies - Addresses shelf-life, sensory characteristics and health claims




Functional and Medicinal Beverages


Book Description

Functional and Medicinal Beverages, Volume Eleven, in the Science of Beverages series, discusses one of the fastest growing sectors in the food industry. As the need for research and development increases based on consumer demand, the information in this volume is essential. This reference includes the latest research trends, nutritive and medicinal ingredients, and analytical techniques to identify health beneficial elements. The contents of the book will bring readers up-to-date on the field, thus making it useful for researchers and graduate students in various fields across the food sciences and technology. Highlights new concepts, innovative technologies and current concerns in the functional beverages field Covers detailed information on the engineering and processing of novel ingredients for health benefits Includes common and alternative ingredients for juices, vegetable blends, milk-based drinks, and probiotic and prebiotic based alternative beverages




Bioactive Natural Products


Book Description

Bioactive natural products are a rich source of novel therapeutics. Thus, the search for bioactive molecules from nature continues to play an important role in fashioning new medicinal agents. This volume, which comprises sixteen chapters written by active researchers and leading experts in natural products chemistry, brings together an overview of current discoveries in this remarkable field. It also provides information on the industrial application of natural products for medicinal purposes. This book will serve as a valuable resource for researchers to predict promising leads for developing pharmaceuticals to treat various ailments and disease manifestations.




Handbook of Food Chemistry


Book Description

This handbook is intended to be a comprehensive reference for the various chemical aspects of foods and food products. Apart from the traditional knowledge, this book covers the most recent research and development of food chemistry in the areas of functional foods and nutraceuticals, organic and genetically modified foods, nonthermal food processing as well as nanotechnology. This handbook contains both the basic and advanced chemistry both for food research and its practical applications in various food related industries and businesses. This book is appropriate for undergraduates and postgraduates in the academics and professionals from the various disciplines and industries who are interested in applying knowledge of food chemistry in their respective fields.