Teas, Cocoa and Coffee

In recent years, the role of plant secondary metabolites as
protective constituents in the human diet has been a growing area
of research. Unlike the traditional vitamins, they are not
essential for short-term wellbeing, but there is increasing
evidence that modest long-term intakes can have favourable impacts
on the incidence of cancers and many chronic diseases, including
cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes, which are occurring in
Western populations with increasing frequency.
This book covers the latest science on the metabolism and
potential health benefits of teas, cocoa, coffee and their extracts
in the human diet. From an opening chapter tracing the origins of
teas, cocoa and coffee as beverage, the book proceeds to explore
the phytochemical content of coffee, cocoa and the various types of
tea. The bioavailability of secondary metabolites from each of the
beverages is then considered in depth, and related directly to
their health benefits. Embracing the full range of tea, coffee and
cocoa beverages and products, the book offers the most up-to-date
and comprehensive treatment of these increasingly important dietary
components.
As the only book to bring together the latest information on the
biochemistry and health benefits of teas, coffee and cocoa, this
book is essential reading for food scientists and technologists
involved in the production of tea, coffee and cocoa products.
Nutritionists will value the book's health focus, while
agricultural scientists working on the cultivation of these crops
will prize its scope and depth of detail. It is also an important
resource for all those who use functional ingredients in other
products, whether they are based in industry or research.

Alan Crozier is Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Human
Nutrition at the University of Glasgow, UK.
Hiroshi Ashihara is Professor of Plant Biochemistry at
Ochanomizu University, Tokyo, Japan.
Francisco Tomás-Barbéran is Research Professor
of the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) in the CEBAS
Institute, Murcia, Spain.