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Preface "We are what we eat" is truly relevant. If food processing is defined as including all treatment of foodstuffs from harvest to consumption, then more than 95% of our food may be considered as processed. The varied events and processes that take place during the preparation, processing, and storage of food is complicated due to the complex chemical heterogeneity of foods and the correspondingly complex reactions and processes that take place. In general, thermal processing of foods is extremely beneficial, resulting in increases in digestibility, destruction of antagonists of vitamins and enzymes, and in many instances destruction of toxins that occur normally in foods. Food processing also leads to products that affect flavor, aroma, taste, nutrition, toxicologically and physiologically active compounds, and overall quality. In most cases, food processing and storage cause some reduction in the nutritional value of foods. The effect on bioactive compounds is the subject of this book. Food processing causes changes to bioactive compounds in foods. Many bioactive health-promoting substances are unstable during processing and storage. They undergo various chemical reactions such as oxidation, hydrolysis, thermal degradation, and Maillard reaction; the result being a change and reduction in their bioactivity. On the other hand, processing can also generate new bioactive compounds. Some of these compounds, derived from the processing of popular food items such as garlic, soybean, tea, and dairy products, have been found to be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of various ailments and diseases. Nowadays, bioactive nutraceuticals or functional foods are considered to be any food or part of a food that provides medical or health benefits, including prevention and treatment of a disease, and are widely considered to be critical for human health. Overwhelming evidence from epidemiological studies indicate that diets rich in specific foods (e.g., fruit and vegetables) are associated with a lower risk of several degenerative diseases. These results created a new perspective concerning the potential of diet in preventing serious diseases in the
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future. However, the health-promoting capacity of bioactive compounds in these foods strictly depends on their processing history. This aspect has been generally neglected or scarcely considered in clinical and epidemiological studies. Processing is expected to affect content, activity, and bioavailability of bioactive compounds and cannot be overlooked. With better understanding of the mechanisms and kinetics of specific reactions relating to the stability of bioactive compounds during processing and storage, we may seek the possibility of modifying processing and storage procedures to minimize the undesirable effects and simultaneously maximize desirable effects. Furthermore, recent advances in emerging novel technology in food processing (e.g., nonthermal) and storage (e.g., modified atmosphere) are becoming more sophisticated and diverse, resulting in improved food quality including an increase in the retention of bioactive compounds after processing. This book originated from a symposium entitled "Effect of Processing and Storage on Bioactive Compounds" held March 26-30, 2000 in San Francisco, California and was sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The goal of the symposium was to bring together international research leaders with diverse backgrounds from academia, industry, and government to present their latest basic findings on processing effect on bioactive compounds in foods with up-to-date experimental data, mechanisms, methodologies, practical application to food quality, and the nutritional and clinical impacts to health benefits. This book contains much pertinent and new information about current interests on the effect of processing on a variety of bioactive compounds in various foods. This book is intended to provide information for food scientists, food chemists, nutritionists, dietitians, medicinal and pharmaceutical scientists, physicians, and healthconscious consumers. It is our hope that this book will inspire food scientists and others who are engaged in related areas of research to produce higher quality and healthier foods to benefit all consumers through optimizing and modifying existing conventional processing and storage techniques as well as adoption of novel processing technologies. In addition, today's consumers can better understand how to avoid excessive nutrient losses during food preparation. We thank the chapter authors for their efforts and time. We also
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extend our sincere gratitude to the many scientists who reviewed the chapters found herein. We thank Stacy VanDerWall, Kelly Dennis, and Anne Wilson in acquisitions; Margaret Brown in editing and production of the A C S Books Department; and Karen Ratzan of Rutgers University for providing persistent support. We dedicate this book to the memory of Mary Ho, wife of Professor Ho, a writer who dedicated much of her work to food for health.
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Tung-Ching Lee Chi-Tang Ho Department of Food Science and the Center for Advanced Food Technology Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-8250
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