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It is with great pleasure that we accepted the offer by CRC Press to assemble and edit this
compilation of reviews on flavonoids and their properties and functions for the present
volume. We considered the volume timely in that the last book of this general type, The
Flavonoids—Advances in Research Since 1986 (edited by Jeffrey B. Harborne), appeared over
a decade ago. Since then, advances in the flavonoid field have been nothing short of
spectacular. These advances are particularly evident in the contributed chapters that cover:
the discovery of a variety of new flavonoids; the application of advanced analytical techniques;
genetic manipulation of the flavonoid pathway; improved understanding of flavonoid
structures and physiological functions in plants and animals; and, perhaps most importantly,
the significance of flavonoids to human health.
Whilst the updating aspect of the chapters is seen as the prime contribution of this book,
an effort also has been made to include a summary of previous knowledge in the field to
enable the reader to place new advances in this context. Chapters 1 and 2 review the
application of contemporary isolation, quantification, and spectroscopic techniques in flavonoid
analysis, while Chapter 3 is devoted to molecular biology and biotechnology of flavonoid
biosynthesis. Individual chapters address the flavonoids in food (Chapter 4) and wine
(Chapter 5), and the impact of flavonoids and other phenolics on human health (Chapter 6
and, in part, Chapter 16). Chapter 8 reviews newly discovered flavonoid functions in plants,
while Chapter 9 is the first review of flavonoid–protein interactions. Chapters 10 to 17 discuss
the chemistry and distribution of the various flavonoid classes including new structures
reported during 1993 to 2004. A complete listing of all known flavonoids within the various
flavonoid classes are found in these later chapters and the Appendix, and to date a total of
above 8150 different flavonoids has been reported.
It is difficult to overstate the importance of recent advances in research on flavonoids, and
we are sure that the information contained within this book will prove to be invaluable to a
wide range of researchers, professionals, and advanced students in both the academic and
industrial sectors.
We are greatly indebted to our authors, and are delighted that so many of the world’s
leading researchers in a variety of flavonoid-related fields have been willing, so generously, to
share their knowledge and experience with others through their contribution to this volume.
We are also very grateful to Lindsey Hofmeister, Erika Dery, Jill Jurgensen, and Tanya
Gordon at Taylor and Francis, and Balaji Krishnasamy at SPI Publisher Services for their
support and interest throughout the preparation of this book. |
