This book was developed from the proceedings of the first North American Tannin Conference held in Port. Angeles, Washington, August 1988. The objective of the conference was to bring together people with a common interest in condensed tannins and to promote interdisciplinary interactions that will lead to a better understanding of these important substances. Anot. her objective was the publicat. ion of this book because there has not been a monograph devoted to the chemistry and significance of tannins for several decades. The book is organized into sections dealing with the biosynthesis, structure, re actions, complexation with other biopolymers, biological significance, and use of tannins as specialty chemicals. The authors made a special attempt to focus on what we don't know as well as to provide a summary of what we do know in an effort to assist in planning future research. Our thanks go to the authors who so kindly contributed chapters and so pa tiently responded to our requests. We also thank Rylee Geboski and the Conference Assist. ance Staff, College of Forestry, Oregon State University, for their assistance in planning and conducting t. he conference, and Julia Wilson, Debbie Wolfe, Helen Coletka, and Nancy Greene of the Southern Forest Experiment Station, Pineville, Louisiana, who typed the chapt. ers. Linda Chalker-Scott was especially helpful in assisting us wit. h editing. Dick Hemingway is indebted t. o the staff of the Alexandria Forest.

This book was developed from the proceedings of the 2nd North American Tan nin Conference held in Houghton, Michigan, June, 1991. The objective of this con ference was to bring together people with a common interest in plant polyphenols and to promote interdisciplinary interactions that will lead to a bet ter understand ing of the importance of these substances. Another objective of this conference was to extend the 'tannin family' by making special efforts to encourage participation by scientists outside the United States, obtain more coverage of the hydrolyzable tannins, and further broaden the scope of coverage from the initial concentration on forestry and forest products. Com parison of the contents of this book with 'Chemistry and Significance of Condensed Tannins' that resulted from the proceedings of the 1st North American Tannin Conference shows the degree that these objectives were met. In developing the second conference, care was taken to assure that this book extends rather than duplicates the coverage of the first conference. Therefore, the two books should be taken together to obtain an up to date coverage of the broad area of chemistry and significance of plant polyphenols. Our thanks go to the authors who so kindly contributed chapters and so pa tiently responded to our requests. We thank the Conference Assistance Staff of Michigan Technological University for their help in planning and conducting the conference.

Tannins are one of the polyphenols group found in plants and are mainly studied because of their structural properties and bioactive behavior. Every year new findings concerning their properties and functions are made, and today concerns are mainly focused on how they can be used efficiently in the wood, food, textile, health, and pharmaceutical industries. Thus, the aim of this book is to present the most updated information on the structural properties of tannins, their food sources and variations, biological properties, and health, among other important issues. In addition, the most recent methods used for their isolation, quantifications, and industrial applications will also be covered.

This concisely written book presents information on types of plant phenolics. The sole focus of this volume is on dietary tannins. It reviews the fact that tannins interact with dietary proteins, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, digestive enzymes, and lower nutrient availability. This work reveals that in certain parts of the world, tannins also have been reported as carcinogenic. This literature comprehensively reviews chemistry and plant biochemistry, and methods of extraction. It also explains the harmful and toxic effects and remedies to alleviate dietary tannins. This useful resource is a must for all food scientists, nutritionists, biochemists, and animal scientists throughout the world.

Tannins constitute a heterogeneous group of polyphenolic compounds, present in a considerable number of vegetable foods. The term tannin is derived from the properties of these compounds to interact and precipitate macromolecules, such as proteins, make them able to tan animal leather. Subsequently a general definition for tannins emerged, referring them as high molecular weight polyphenols that precipitate protein from solution. The first chapter of this book begins with a discussion on the adsorbent biopolymers from tannin extracts for water treatment. The second chapter presents the influences of sensory and psychosocial factors on the intake of tannin-rich foods and beverages. Chapter three investigates condensed tannins derived from grapes and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Chapter four provides a review of the latest research in the extraction of tannins from grapes and how tannin structure can influence wine astringency. The tannin chemistry diversity and its occurrence in ruminant diets, as well as its beneficial and adverse effects on ruminants will be briefly reviewed in chapter five, and aspects related to oral cavity physiology, saliva production/composition and postingestive effects will be also be referred. The final chapter evaluates milk composition of crossbred dairy goats fed Tifton 85 grass replaced by flemingia.

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.

This is the only book of its kind to provide an overview of the science of flavonoids in plants.

This book is the first of its kind that focuses on the chemistry and biology of ellagitannins, a special class of naturally occurring polyphenols which have so far not received the attention they deserve. These polyphenolic substances are found in many plants, including numerous food sources. They not only exhibit unique structural features that fascinate most chemists who are aware of their existence, but also express remarkable biological activities that have yet to attract the interest of the pharmaceutical industry. This is surprising because ellagitannins have been identified as active principles in traditional Chinese medicines.The principal aim of this book is to set the record straight. Most, if not all, worldwide experts in each aspect of the chemistry and biology of this underestimated class of natural products have contributed to this book. It covers topics such as their structural determination and natural occurrence; the most up-to-date knowledge of their biosynthesis; the current state of the art of their total chemical synthesis; their main physicochemical properties and principal biological activities; their presence in food and beverages; and their related health effects. All together, nine chapters compose this book whose content is placed into historical perspective in a yet inspiring preface written by one of the pioneers in modern polyphenol research, Professor Edwin Haslam. This book will be useful not only to scientists involved in natural product research, but also to lecturers and their students as a source of key references and/or a textbook.

Legumes have high potential for improving the nutritional quality of foods, but limited data on their bioactive compounds exists. Results of clinical and epidemiological studies suggest that natural antioxidants can protect us against oxidative stress that is closely associated with cancer and cardiovascular disease. Legumes are a valuable source of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, peptides and non-nutritional factors. They are rich in several important micronutrients, including potassium, magnesium, folate, iron, and zinc, and are an important source of protein in vegetarian diets. They are among the only plant foods that provide significant amounts of the amino acid, lysine. Commonly consumed legumes are also rich in total and soluble fibre as well as in resistant starch. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the antioxidant activity and health aspects of legumes. The international spread of contributors will describe the key factors that influence consumer acceptance of legumes in the diet, as well as the known functional properties of legumes and legume based food products. It will serve as an excellent and up-to-date reference for food scientists, food chemists, researchers in human nutrition, dietetics and the chemistry of natural compounds.