Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research

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 condensed tannins), are notably known as phytoestrogens, plant pigments, potent antioxidants, and protein interacting agents.

Sponsored by the scholarly society Groupe Polyphénols, this publication, which is the fifth volume in this highly regarded Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research series, is edited by Kumi Yoshida, Véronique Cheynier and Stéphane Quideau. They have once again, like their predecessors, put together an impressive collection of cutting–edge chapters written by expert scientists, internationally respected in their respective field of polyphenol sciences. This Volume 5 highlights some of the latest information and opinion on the following major research topics about polyphenols:  

 Chemistry, physicochemistry & materials science
 Biosynthesis, genetic & metabolic engineering
 Plant & ecosystem, lignocellulosic biomass
 Food, nutrition & health
 Natural medicine & Kampo
 Tannins & their functions

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. 

About the Editors
Kumi Yoshida, current vice–president of the Groupe Polyphénols is professor of Natural Product and Bioorganic Chemistry at Nagoya University, Japan. She specializes in chemical and biological studies on flower coloration by anthocyanins and is also particularly interested in molecular biological and biochemical aspects of metal transporters involved in blue coloration. Her research laboratory also works on the isolation, structural determination and synthesis of various polyphenols.

Véronique Cheynier, the current president of the Groupe Polyphénols, is research director at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in Montpellier, France. Her research interests concern the study of the structure of polyphenolic compounds, notably vegetable tannins, and their biosynthesis in plants. She is also interested in the influence of polyphenols, their reactions, and their interactions on the quality of foods and beverages, especially wine.

Stéphane Quideau, former president of the Groupe Polyphénols (2008–2012), is full professor of Organic and Bioorganic Chemistry at the University of Bordeaux, France. His research laboratory is specialized in plant polyphenol chemistry and chemical biology, with a focus on the studies of ellagitannin chemical reactivity and synthesis, and interactions of bioactive polyphenols with their protein targets.

Also Available
Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research, Volume 1;  ISBN: 978–1–4051–5837–4
Edited by Fouad Daayf and Vincenzo Lattanzio

Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research, Volume 2; ISBN: 978–1–4051–9399–3
Edited by Celestino Santos–Buelga, Maria Teresa Escribano–Bailon, and Vincenzo Lattanzio

Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research, Volume 3; ISBN: 978–1–4443–3746–4
Edited by Véronique Cheynier, Pascale Sarni–Manchado, and Stéphane Quideau

Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research, Volume 4; ISBN: 978–1–118–32967–2
Edited by Annalisa Romani, Vincenzo Lattanzio, and Stéphane Quideau