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This reference book provides an overview of the active ingredients of selected plants present in beverages. The book aims to highlight according to the chapters the botanical, ethnobotanical, ecological or agronomic aspects of these botanical species used in some well-known or rarer beverages by linking them to their phytochemistry. This book also covers the manufacturing techniques, as well as the quality control of these products of natural origin in beverages. The content is divided into five main sections containing chapters written by valuable experts in their field : (1) beverages plants with caffeine and other methylxanthines, (2) beverage plants without caffeine, (3) fruits juices, (4) alcoholic beverage plants: non-distilled beverages and (5) alcoholic beverage plants: distilled beverages. The book is a useful resource for graduate students, academics and researchers in the field of botany, agriculture, food chemistry, nutrition as well as for industrial scientists and those involved in the commercialization of phytochemicals, plants and their extracts.

This Reference Work is devoted to plant secondary metabolites and their evolutionary adaptation to different hosts and pests. Secondary metabolites play an important biological role in plants'defence against herbivores, abiotic stresses and pathogens, and they also attract beneficial organisms such as pollinators. In this work, readers will find a comprehensive review of the phytochemical diversity, modification and adaptation of secondary metabolites, and the consequences of their co-evolution with plant parasites, pollinators, and herbivores. Chapters from expert contributors are organised into twelve sections that collate the current knowledge in intra-/inter-specific diversity in plant secondary metabolites, changes in secondary metabolites during plants'adaptation to different environmental conditions, and co-evolution of host-parasite metabolites. Among the twelve themed parts, readers will also discover expert analysis on the genetics and chemical ecology evolution ofsecondary metabolites, and particular attention is also given to allelochemicals, bioactive molecules in plant defence and the evolution of sensory perception in vertebrates. This reference work will appeal to students, researchers and professionals interested in the field of plant pathology, plant breeding, biotechnology, agriculture and phytochemistry.

This reference work provides comprehensive information about the bioactive molecules presented in our daily food and their effect on the physical and mental state of our body. Although the concept of functional food is new, the consumption of selected food to attain a specific effect existed already in ancient civilizations, namely of China and India. Consumers are now more attentive to food quality, safety and health benefits, and the food industry is led to develop processed- and packaged-food, particularly in terms of calories, quality, nutritional value and bioactive molecules. This book covers the entire range of bioactive molecules presented in daily food, such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, isoflavonoids, carotenoids, vitamin C, polyphenols, bioactive molecules presented in wine, beer and cider. Concepts like French paradox, Mediterranean diet, healthy diet of eating fruits and vegetables, vegan and vegetarian diet, functional foods are described with suitable casestudies. Readers will also discover a very timely compilation of methods for bioactive molecules analysis. Written by highly renowned scientists of the field, this reference work appeals to a wide readership, from graduate students, scholars, researchers in the field of botany, agriculture, pharmacy, biotechnology and food industry to those involved in manufacturing, processing and marketing of value-added food products.

This handbook compiles comprehensive reference information on sweeteners for academic researchers and professionals. It discusses both natural as well as synthetic products, considering health-related and economical aspects. Renowned authors mostly from academia, but also from the industry, summarize information about the chemistry, biological and pharmacological aspects, as well as bioavailability and applications of sweeteners. The book introduces various substance classes of sweeteners, which are mainly plant-derived, including glycosidic and terpenoid sweeteners, peptidic sweeteners, sweet-tasting proteins and protein-derived sweeteners (e.g. stevioside, sucralose, aspartame, thaumatin, brazzein and many more). Chapters address topics such as the isolation and purification of the compounds, their physical, chemical and biological properties, pharmacological activities, and also critically discuss their applications in view of health and ecotoxicological aspects. A special emphasis is on low or no-calorie sweeteners, for which there is an increasing demand and intensified research activities currently. This reference work hence provides the readers with key information and will serve the needs of graduate students and scholars, researchers and professionals working in the fields of chemistry, botany, biotechnology, or pharmacological or agricultural research, as well as in the food industry or the marketing of sweeteners.

Use of medicinal plants is as old as human civilization and continuous efforts are being made to improve medicinal plants or produce their products in high amounts through various technologies. About 200,000 natural products of plant origin are known and many more are being identifed from higher plants and microorganisms. Some plant-based drugs have been used for centuries and there is no alternative medicine for many drugs, such as cardiac glycosides. However, natural products research was sidelined to pave the way for com- natorial chemistry, which was expected to produce large numbers of synthetic compounds for high-throughput screening (HTS). This line of work has failed to deliver desirable results. Moreover, it is not possible for all pharmaceutical companies and institutions to adopt costly HTS technology. Therefore, medi- nal plants and their bioactive molecules are always in demand and are a central point of research. While planning this book, we endeavored to incorporate - ticles that cover the entire gamut of current medicinal plants research. The aim of this book was to review the current status of bioactive molecules and medicinal plants research in light of the surge in the demand for herbal medicine. The chapters focus on bioactive molecules (e.g., stilbenes and p- toestrogens) and on medicinal plants as a whole (e.g., Bacopa monnierie). We hope that this book will be useful for researchers in academia, industry, and agriculture planning.