This book provides new information on the control of monolignal coupling and on modifying the biochemical steps in their formation and configuration. The text provides a critical assessment of recent advances in delineating the relationships and biosynthetic pathways of lignins and lignans. The discussion emphasizes lignin and lignan formation, particularly the templates for lignin assembly and the control of stereochemical coupling.

As naturally occurring and abundant sources of non-fossil carbon, lignin and lignans offer exciting possibilities as a source of commercially valuable products, moving away from petrochemical-based feedstocks in favour of renewable raw materials. Lignin can be used directly in fields such as agriculture, livestock, soil rehabilitation, bioremediation and the polymer industry, or it can be chemically modified for the fabrication of specialty and high-value chemicals such as resins, adhesives, fuels and greases. Lignin and Lignans as Renewable Raw Materials presents a multidisciplinary overview of the state-of-the-art and future prospects of lignin and lignans. The book discusses the origin, structure, function and applications of both types of compounds, describing the main resources and values of these products as carbon raw materials. Topics covered include: • Structure and physicochemical properties • Lignin detection methods • Biosynthesis of lignin • Isolation methods • Characterization and modification of lignins • Applications of modified and unmodified lignins • Lignans: structure, chemical and biological properties • Future perspectives This book is a comprehensive resource for researchers, scientists and engineers in academia and industry working on new possibilities for the application of renewable raw materials. For more information on the Wiley Series in Renewable Resources, visit www.wiley.com/go/rrs

Plant polyphenols are secondary metabolites that constitute one of the most common and widespread groups of natural products. They express a large and diverse panel of biological activities including beneficial effects on both plants and humans. Many polyphenols, from their structurally simplest representatives to their oligo/polymeric versions (also referred to as vegetable tannins) are notably known as phytoestrogens, plant pigments, potent antioxidants, and protein interacting agents. Sponsored by Groupe Polyphénols, this publication, which is the third volume in this highly regarded Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research series, is edited by Véronique Cheynier, Pascale Sarni-Manchado, and Stéphane Quideau (the current President of Groupe Polyphénols). Like their predecessors, they have once again put together an impressive collection of cutting-edge chapters written by expert scientists internationally respected in their respective field of polyphenol sciences. This Volume 3 provides the latest information and opinion on the following major research topics about polyphenols: Organic chemistry and physical chemistry Biosynthesis, genetics and metabolic engineering The role of polyphenols in plants and ecosystems Health and nutrition Analysis and metabolomics Chemists, biochemists, plant scientists, pharmacognosists and pharmacologists, biologists, ecologists, food scientists and nutritionists will all find this book an invaluable resource. Libraries in all universities and research institutions where these disciplines are studied and taught should have copies on their bookshelves.

Lignans are widely occurring plant compounds and are closely related to lignin, which forms the woody component of trees and other plants. The lignans are characterized by their dimeric composition from cinnamic acids, and they are attracting increasing attention as a result of their pharmacological properties. The volume surveys the chemical, biological and clinical properties of lignans as well as providing information on their isolation, purification, identification and chemical synthesis.

Presents recent research on metabolism and the health effects of polyphenols Consumer interest in the health benefits of many phenolic compounds found in plant foods and derivatives has grown considerably in recent years, giving rise to an increased demand for functional foods. Although preclinical and observational studies have promoted the protective properties of polyphenols for a range of chronic diseases, evidence has shown that most dietary polyphenols have little bioavailability. Once ingested, most of them are metabolized by either the intestinal enzymes or by the gut microbiota and then undergo extensive phase-II metabolism reaching significant concentrations of conjugated metabolites. They remain in the systemic circulation and target systemic tissues where trigger biological effects. The polyphenol-derived metabolites produced in humans are dependent upon the composition of the gut microbiota and the subject genetics. Thus all the metabolites do not show the same biological activity in different individuals. To fully understand the health effects of polyphenols, further clinical investigations are required. Dietary Polyphenols describes the latest findings on the polyphenol metabolism and reviews the current evidence on their health effects and that of their bioavailable metabolites. Emphasizing the importance of interindividual variability and the critical role of gut microbiota, this authoritative volume features contributions from recognized experts in the field, exploring specific families of extractable and non-extractable phenolic compounds that exhibit potential health effects. Topics include structural diversity of polyphenols and distribution in foods, bioavailability and bioaccessibility of phenolics, metabolism, and gastrointestinal absorption of various metabolites and their health effects. This comprehensive volume: Discusses the bioavailability, bioaccessibility, pharmacokinetics studies, and microbial metabolism of different groups of phenolic compounds Examines the interaction between polyphenols and gut microbiota Describes analytical methods for identifying and quantifying polyphenols in foods and biological samples Reviews recent epidemiological and clinical intervention studies showing protective effects of polyphenols Dietary Polyphenols: Metabolism and Health Effects is an important resource for scientists working in the area of dietary polyphenols and health effects, microbiota, and their interaction with other nutritional compounds, and for health professionals, nutritionists, dieticians, and clinical researchers with interest in the role of polyphenols in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

"Chapters will specifically focus on the production of fuels and chemicals from lignin."--Page [4] of cover.

A review of various types of whole grains, the bioactives present within them, and their health-promoting effects As rates of obesity and other chronic conditions continue to rise, so too does the need for clear and accurate information on the connections between diet and disease, particularly regarding the cereal grains that dominate the Western diet. In this volume, editors Jodee Johnson and Taylor Wallace assemble a panel of leading experts to address this issue. The result is a comprehensive examination of the cereal and pseudo-cereal grains and their most important bioactive compounds. Not only does this volume offer summaries of existing research, it also places these findings within the larger context of health promotion and disease prevention. This includes frank discussions on the limitations of existing studies, as well as current gaps in research for those who want to offer evidence-based recommendations to their patients. Topics addressed include: Methodical analyses of domesticated grain species, their horticultural history, nutritional composition, and known effects on health Beneficial properties of certain bioactive compounds found in particular grain species How bioactive compounds work within an individual’s overall diet to increase health and prevent disease Academic and industry researchers, as well as medical practitioners and public health professionals, will appreciate Whole Grains and their Bioactives, not only as an engaging overview of current research, but also as an illuminating contribution to the often-murky debate surrounding health and the human diet.

This volume contains reviews presented at the 31 st annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America, held at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado on June 22-26, 1991. This symposium, entitled Phenolic Metabolism in Plants, celebrated the origin of this society as the Plant Phenolics Group of North America; the first symposium, entitled Biochemistry of Plant Phenolic Substances, was also held at Fort Collins from August 31 to September 1, 1961. A brief history of the Society is presented in Chapter 12 by Stewart Brown, one of the original founders of the Society. We dedicate this volume to Hans Grisebach, 1926-1990, Professor of Biochemistry at the Biologisches Institut II, Freiburg, Germany, where he headed for many years a laboratory responsible for major advances in the area of phenolic metabolism; this will be self evident from the numerous bibliographical references cited in the literature for papers by his Freiburg group from about 1958 until now, and subsequently by former students and colla borators. His impact on the data reviewed in this volume will testify to this.

Over the past four decades, there has been immense progress in every area of lignin science, ranging from the enzymology of lignin biodegradation, to the delignification of wood fiber during pulping and bleaching, to advances in spectroscopy. Lignin and Lignans: Advances in Chemistry captures the developments that have been achieved by world-class