Phytochemistry of Fruit and Vegetables

Recent advances in genetic engineering and in the chemistry and biochemistry of fruit and vegetables have radically changed our understanding of the mechanisms underlying these processes, and the potential for modification of the products themselves. This is the first book to examine these topics and address the role of fresh fruits and vegetables in a healthy diet and the prevention of cancer and coronary diseases. The main focus is on the secondary metabolites which are responsible for quality characteristics including color, aroma, and flavor, and their nutritional importance and role in the prevention of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The book also explores how the post-harvest technological treatments to which these commodities are submitted can cause changes in secondary metabolism, with consequences for the quality of the product.

Chapter 1 - Phytochemistry of fruit and vegetables; Chapter 2 - Carotenoids from fruit and vegetables; Chapter 3 - Molecular interactions of phenolic compounds in relation to the colour fruit and vegetables; Chapter 4 - Phenolic compounds and oxidative mechanisms in fruit and vegetables; Chapter 5 - Astringency; Chapter 6 - Fruit aroma precursors with special reference to phenolics; Chapter 7 - Aroma biochemistry of fruit and vegetables; Chapter 8 - The psychology of food choice: the influence of attitudes and flavour perception; Chapter 9 - Coumarins in frut and vegetabvles; Chapter 10 - Physical and physiological changes in minimally processed fruit and vegetables; Chapter 11 - Role of phytoalexins and other antimicrobial compounds from fruits and vegetables in post-harvest disease resistance; Chapter 12 - ACC oxidase gene family: Characterization and down regulation by genetic manipulation; Chapter 13 - Options for the genetic manipulation of astringent and antinutritional metabolites in fruit and vegetables; Chapter 14 - Gibberellins and fruit development; Chapter 15 - The possible role of antioxidants in fruit and vegetables in protecting against coronary heart disease; Chapter 16 - Potentially anticarcinogenic secondary metabolites from fruit and vegetables; Chapter 17 - Toxic compounds from fruit and vegetables. An ecological overview