Phenolic compounds, one of the most widely distributed groups of secondary metabolites in plants, have received a lot of attention in the last few years since the consumption of vegetables and beverages with a high level of such compounds may reduce risks of the development of several diseases. This is partially due to their antioxidant power since other interactions with cell functions have been discovered. What's more, phenolic compounds are involved in many functions in plants, such as sensorial properties, structure, pollination, resistance to pests and predators, germination, processes of seed, development, and reproduction.

Phenolic compounds can be classified in different ways, ranging from simple molecules to highly polymerized compounds. Phenolic Compounds in Food: Characterization and Analysis deals with all aspects of phenolic compounds in food.

In five sections, the 21 chapters of this book address the classification and occurrence of phenolic compounds in nature and foodstuffs; discuss all major aspects of analysis of phenolic compounds in foods, such as extraction, clean-up, separation, and detection; detail specific analysis methods of a number of classes of phenolic compounds, from simple molecules to complex compounds; describe the antioxidant power of phenolic compounds; and discuss specific analysis methods in different foodstuffs.

Leo M. L. Nollet, PhD, earned an MS (1973) and PhD (1978) in biology from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium. He is an editor and associate editor of numerous books. He edited for M. Dekker, New York--now CRC Press of Taylor & Francis Publishing Group--the first, second, and third editions of Food Analysis by HPLC and Handbook of Food Analysis. The last edition is a two-volume book. Dr. Nollet also edited the Handbook of Water Analysis (first, second, and third editions) and Chromatographic Analysis of the Environment, third and fourth editions(CRC Press). With F. Toldrá, he coedited two books published in 2006, 2007, and 2017: Advanced Technologies for Meat Processing (CRC Press) and Advances in Food Diagnostics (Blackwell Publishing--now Wiley). With M. Poschl, he coedited the book Radionuclide Concentrations in Foods and the Environment, also published in 2006 (CRC Press). Dr. Nollet has also coedited with Y. H. Hui and other colleagues on several books: Handbook of Food Product Manufacturing (Wiley, 2007), Handbook of Food Science, Technology, and Engineering (CRC Press, 2005), Food Biochemistry and Food Processing (first and second editions; Blackwell Publishing--now Wiley--2006 and 2012), and the Handbook of Fruits and Vegetable Flavors (Wiley, 2010). In addition, he edited the Handbook of Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Quality, first and second editions (Blackwell Publishing--now Wiley--2007 and 2012). From 2008 to 2011, he published with F. Toldrá five volumes on animal product-related books: Handbook of Muscle Foods Analysis, Handbook of Processed Meats and Poultry Analysis, Handbook of Seafood and Seafood Products Analysis, Handbook of Dairy Foods Analysis, and Handbook of Analysis of Edible Animal By-Products. Also in 2011, with F. Toldrá, he coedited two volumes for CRC Press: Safety Analysis of Foods of Animal Origin and Sensory Analysis of Foods of Animal Origin. In 2012, they published the Handbook of Analysis of Active Compounds in Functional Foods. In a coedition with Hamir Rathore, Handbook of Pesticides: Methods of Pesticides Residues Analysis was marketed in 2009; Pesticides: Evaluation of Environmental Pollution in 2012; Biopesticides Handbook in 2015; and Green Pesticides Handbook: Essential Oils for Pest Control in 2017. Other finished book projects include Food Allergens: Analysis, Instrumentation, and Methods (with A. van Hengel; CRC Press, 2011) and Analysis of Endocrine Compounds in Food (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011). Dr. Nollet's recent projects include Proteomics in Foods with F. Toldrá (Springer, 2013) and Transformation Products of Emerging Contaminants in the Environment: Analysis, Processes, Occurrence, Effects, and Risks with D. Lambropoulou (Wiley, 2014). In the series Food Analysis & Properties, he edited (with C. Ruiz-Capillas) Flow Injection Analysis of Food Additives (CRC Press, 2015) and Marine Microorganisms: Extraction and Analysis of Bioactive Compounds (CRC Press, 2016). With A.S. Franca, he edited Spectroscopic Methods in Food Analysis (CRC Press, 2017), and with Horacio Heinzen and Amadeo R. Fernandez-Alba he edited Multiresidue Methods for the Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Food(CRC Press, 2017).

Janet Alejandra Gutiérrez-Uribe, PhD, is an associate pro-fessor in the NutriOmics research group at the School of Engineering and Science from Tecnológico de Monterrey. She is the director of the Bioengineering Department in the South Region of Tecnológico de Monterrey. Dr. Gutiérrez-Uribe is a food engineer with graduate studies in biotechnology. For more than 10 years, she has worked on phytochemistry and in the nutritional biochemistry of phenolic compounds and other nutraceuticals. Her research is focused on Mexican foods such as black beans, cacti, agave, and maize. She has published more than 60 papers in different prestigious jour-nals and is the inventor of more than 10 patents and applica-tions in Mexico and abroad. She has graduated more than 25 graduate students and her teaching skills go beyond lectures. Work with industry and social service are her main drivers in the development of challenges related to biochemistry, molecular biology, cell culture, and nutraceutical discovery.