Coffee is a rich source of dietary antioxidants, and this property, coupled with the fact that coffee is one of the world's most popular beverages, has led to the understanding that coffee is a major contributor to dietary antioxidant intake. Brewed coffee is a complex food matrix with numerous phytochemical components that have antioxidant activity capable of scavenging free radicals, donating...

In the past decade, substantial progress has been made concerning our knowledge of bioactive components in plant foods and their links to health. Human diets of plant origin contain many hundreds of compounds which cannot be considered as nutrients, but appear to play a role in the maintenance of health. These substances are called nutraceuticals. In some cases where the disease process is at l...

Bioactive food peptides are encrypted within the sequence of food proteins but can be released during food processing (by enzymatic hydrolysis or fermentation) or during gastrointestinal transit. Among bioactive food peptides, those with antihypertensive activity are receiving special attention due to the high prevalence of hypertension in the Western countries and its role in cardiovascular di...

Comprehensive investigation of nutritional health effects at the molecular level requires the understanding of the interplay between three genomes, the food, the gut microbial, and the human host genome. Food genomes are researched for discovery and exploitation of macro- and micronutrients as well as specific bioactives, with those genes coding for bioactive proteins and peptides being of cent...

Accumulated evidence from experimental and epidemiological studies indicates that there is a low risk of degenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, cataract, stroke and, in particular, cancers in people with a high intake of fruit and vegetables. This protective effect is assumed to be associated mainly with the antioxidant activities of either individual or interacting bioact...