This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on the nutritional and health benefits of beverage crops.
The first chapter introduces the importance of coffee leaves, highlighting their high antioxidant potential and impact on fruit quality. The chapter provides an inventory of molecules identified in the leaves of cultivated coffee trees, as well as the beneficial effects of these molecules on human health.
The second chapter considers the nutritional and health-related aspects of regular coffee consumption, focussing on its ability to prevent the onset of chronic diseases. The chapter also highlights that above-average consumption of coffee can lead to the development of side effects, including caffeine tolerance, dependence and withdrawal.
The third chapter discusses the main phytochemicals contained in tea, including polyphenols, amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and purine alkaloids. The chapter reviews the current analytical techniques available for tea characterisation, such as chromatic and spectroscopic techniques.
The final chapter explores the beneficial health effects of consuming tea on a regular basis. The chapter considers the potential role for tea in combatting chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the possible mechanisms of actions of tea constituents.
Chapter 1 - Beneficial compounds from coffee leaves: Claudine Campa, UMR IPME, France; and Arnaud Petitvallet, Wize Monkey, Canada; 1 Introduction 2 Characterization of leaf metabolites in cultivated coffee plants 3 Beneficial compounds for coffee plants 4 Beneficial compounds for humans 5 Case study: Wize Monkey 6 Conclusion 7 Future trends 8 Where to look for further information 9 References Chapter 2 - Nutritional and health effects of coffee: Adriana Farah, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; 1 Introduction 2 Nutrients and bioactive compounds of coffee 3 Main beneficial health effects of coffee 4 Potential side effects of coffee drinking 5 Final considerations 6 Acknowledgements 7 Where to look for further information 8 References Chapter 3 - Instrumentation and methodology for the quantification of phytochemicals in tea: Ting Zhang, China University of Geosciences and Huanggang Normal University, China; Xiaojian Lv, Yin Xu, Lanying Xu and Tao Long, Huanggang Normal University, China; Chi-Tang Ho, Rutgers University, USA; and Shiming Li, Huanggang Normal University, China and Rutgers University, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Phytochemicals in tea: bioactive compounds 3 Phytochemicals in tea: flavour and colour compounds 4 Analytical techniques for tea characterization: overview and chromatic techniques 5 Analytical techniques for tea characterization: spectroscopic techniques 6 Determination of compounds in tea: phenolic compounds and sugars 7 Determination of compounds in tea: analysis of volatile compounds 8 Determination of compounds in tea: other compounds and elements 9 Diversified tea products 10 Summary 11 References Chapter 4 - The potential role for tea in combating chronic diseases: Chung S. Yang, Rutgers University, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Chemical properties, bioavailability and biotransformation of tea constituents 3 Tea and cancer prevention 4 Reduction of body weight, alleviation of metabolic syndrome and prevention of diabetes 5 Lowering of blood cholesterol, blood pressure and incidence of cardiovascular diseases 6 Neuroprotective effects of tea 7 Conclusion 8 Where to look for further information 9 Acknowledgements 10 References
