Wiley-Blackwell, 2013. — 520 p.The overarching objective, therefore, of the Handbook of Plant Food Phytochemicals is to provide a bird’s eye view of the occurrence, significance and factors affecting phytochemicals in plant foods. A key of objective of the handbook is to critically evaluate some of these with a particular emphasis on evidence for or against quantifiable beneficial health effects being imparted via a reduction in disease risk through the consumption of foods rich in phytochemicals.
The book is divided into five parts. Part I deals with the health benefits and chemistry of phytochemicals, Part II summarises phytochemicals in various food types, Parts III and IV deal with a variety of factors that can affect phytochemical content and stability and Part V deals with a range of analytical techniques and applications of phytochemicals. The subject of the biological activity of phytochemicals is approached both from a disease risk reduction perspective in Chapter 3 and from a more traditional pharmacological viewpoint in Chapter 4 . Together these chapters are intended to give the reader a sound basis for understanding the biological significance of these substances and to contextualise their roles either as a medicinal plant or as a nutraceutical/functional food. Key to understanding both the stability and biological role of phytochemicals is a sound knowledge of their chemistry and biochemical origin. This often neglected topic is covered in detail here along with an overview of the classification of these compounds. This reflects the ambition of the book to serve as a reference text for students in the field and is intended to provide a basis for understanding some of the complex subjects covered in earlier chapters.
