Plant Nitrogen


Book Description

Jointly published with INRA, Paris. This book covers all aspects of the transfer of nitrogen from the soil and air to a final resting place in the seed protein of a crop plant. It describes the physiological and molecular mechanisms of ammonium and nitrate transport and assimilation, including symbiotic nitrogen fixation by the Rhizobiacea. Amino acid metabolism and nitrogen traffic during plant growth and development and details of protein biosynthesis in the seeds are also extensively covered. Finally, the effects of the application of nitrogen fertilisers on plant growth, crop yield and the environment are discussed. Written by international experts in their field, Plant Nitrogen is essential reading for all plant biochemists, biotechnologists, molecular biologists and physiologists as well as plant breeders, agricultural engineers, agronomists and phytochemists.




Plant-Environment Interaction


Book Description

The increase in global population, urbanization and industrialization is resulting in the conversion of cultivated land into wasteland. Providing food from these limited resources to an ever-increasing population is one of the biggest challenges that present agriculturalists and plant scientists are facing. Environmental stresses make this situation even graver. Plants on which mankind is directly or indirectly dependent exhibit various mechanisms for their survival. Adaptability of the plants to changing environment is a matter of concern for plant biologists trying to reach the goal of food security. Despite the induction of several tolerance mechanisms, sensitive plants often fail to withstand these environmental extremes. Using new technological approaches has become essential and imperative. Plant-Environment Interaction: Responses and Approaches to Mitigate Stress throws light on the changing environment and the sustainability of plants under these conditions. It contains the most up-to-date research and comprehensive detailed discussions in plant physiology, climate change, agronomy and forestry, sometimes from a molecular point of view, to convey in-depth understanding of the effects of environmental stress in plants, their responses to the environment, how to mitigate the negative effects and improve yield under stress. This edited volume is written by expert plant biologists from around the world, providing invaluable knowledge to graduate and undergraduate students in plant biochemistry, food chemistry, plant physiology, molecular biology, plant biotechnology, and environmental sciences. This book updates scientists and researchers with the very latest information and sustainable methods used for stress tolerance, which will also be of considerable interest to plant based companies and institutions concerned with the campaign of food security.




Teas, Cocoa and Coffee


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.







Carotenoid-derived Aroma Compounds


Book Description

Preface 1 Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Compounds: An Introduction 1 2 Analysis of Norisoprenoid Aroma Precursors 20 3 HPLC-MS Analysis of Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Precursors 36 4 CD Spectroscopy as a Powerful Tool for the Stereochemical Assignment of Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Compounds 56 5 Analyzing Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Compounds Using Gas Chromatography-Olfactometry 67 6 Carotenoid Cleavage Enzymes in Animals and Plants 76 7 Identification of [beta]-Damascenone Progenitors and Their Biogenesis in Rose Flowers (Rosa damascena Mill.) 89 8 Production of Aroma Compounds by Enzymatic Cooxidation of Carotenoids 102 9 Thermal Generation of Carotenoid-Derived Compounds 115 10 Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Compounds in Tobacco 131 11 Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Compounds in Tea 145 12 Carotenoid-Derived Aroma Compounds in Flower Scents 162 13 Bound Volatiles in Brown Boronia Flowers (Boronia megastigma) 183 14 C[subscript 13]-Norisoprenoids in the Aroma of Colombian Tropical Fruits 194 15 Carotenoid Degradation Products in Paprika Powder 206 16 Flavor Chemistry of Saffron 220 17 The Formation of [beta]-Damascenone in Wine 241 18 C[subscript 13]-Norisoprenoid Aglycon Composition of Leaves and Grape Berries from Muscat of Alexandria and Shiraz Cultivars 255 19 Effect of Sunlight Exposure on Norisoprenoid Formation in White Riesling Grapes 262 20 The Significance of 1,1,6-Trimethyl-1,2-Dihydronaphthalene in the Production of High Quality Riesling Wines 273 21 Formation of 1,1,6-Trimethyl-1,2-Dihydronaphthalene and Other Norisoprenoids in Wine: Considerations on the Kinetics 285 Author Index 303 Subject Index 304.




Plant Secondary Metabolites


Book Description

Plant secondary metabolites have been a fertile area of chemical investigation for many years, driving the development of both analytical chemistry and of new synthetic reactions and methodologies. The subject is multi-disciplinary with chemists, biochemists and plant scientists all contributing to our current understanding. In recent years there has been an upsurge in interest from other disciplines, related to the realisation that secondary metabolites are dietary components that may have a considerable impact on human health, and to the development of gene technology that permits modulation of the contents of desirable and undesirable components. Plant Secondary Metabolites: Occurrence, Structure and Role in the Human Diet addresses this wider interest by covering the main groups of natural products from a chemical and biosynthetic perspective with illustrations of how genetic engineering can be applied to manipulate levels of secondary metabolites of economic value as well as those of potential importance in diet and health. These descriptive chapters are augmented by chapters showing where these products are found in the diet, how they are metabolised and reviewing the evidence for their beneficial bioactivity.







Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants


Book Description

With over 1000 original drawings and 500 photographs, this work offers complete coverage of cell biology, plant physiology and molecular biology.




Stress Physiology of Tea in the Face of Climate Change


Book Description

​This book focuses on the existing knowledge regarding the effect of global climate change on tea plant physiology, biochemistry, and metabolism as well as economic and societal aspects of the tea industry. Specifically, this book synthesizes recent advances in the physiological and molecular mechanisms of the responses of tea plants to various abiotic and biotic stressors including high temperature, low temperature or freezing, drought, low light, UV radiation, elevated CO2, ozone, nutrient deficiency, insect herbivory, and pathogenic agents. This book also discusses challenges and potential management strategies for sustaining tea yield and quality in the face of climate change. Dr. Wen-Yan Han is a Professor and Dr. Xin Li is an Associate Professor at the Tea Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (TRI, CAAS), Hangzhou, PR China. Dr. Golam Jalal Ahammed is an Associate Professor at the Department of Horticulture, College of Forestry, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, PR China.




Enzymes in Food Biotechnology


Book Description

Enzymes in Food Biotechnology: Production, Applications, and Future Prospects presents a comprehensive review of enzyme research and the potential impact of enzymes on the food sector. This valuable reference brings together novel sources and technologies regarding enzymes in food production, food processing, food preservation, food engineering and food biotechnology that are useful for researchers, professionals and students. Discussions include the process of immobilization, thermal and operational stability, increased product specificity and specific activity, enzyme engineering, implementation of high-throughput techniques, screening to relatively unexplored environments, and the development of more efficient enzymes. - Explores recent scientific research to innovate novel, global ideas for new foods and enzyme engineering - Provides fundamental and advanced information on enzyme research for use in food biotechnology, including microbial, plant and animal enzymes - Includes recent cutting-edge research on the pharmaceutical uses of enzymes in the food industry