This book (24 chapters) covers the chemistry (chemical composition and structure) of the following spice plants and their products, and provides brief information on the morphology, and postharvest management (storage, packaging and grading) of these crops: black pepper (Piper nigrum), small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), large cardamom (Amomum subulatum), ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and cassia (Cinnamomum spp.), clove, nutmeg and mace, coriander (Coriandrum sativum), cumin (Cuminum cyminum), fennel, fenugreek, paprika and chilli (Capsicum spp.), vanilla (Vanilla spp.), ajowan (Trachyspermum ammi), star anise (Illicium verum), aniseed (Pimpinella anisum), garcinia (Garcinia spp.), tamarind, parsley, celery, curry leaf (Murraya koenigii) and bay leaf (Laurus nobilis). This book will be useful to researchers, industrialists and postgraduate students of agriculture, horticulture and phytochemistry, and to spice traders and processors.

Spices are high value, export-oriented crops used extensively in food and beverage flavourings, medicines, cosmetics and perfumes. Interest is growing however in the theoretical and practical aspects of the biosynthetic mechanisms of active components in spices as well as the relationship between the biological activity and chemical structure of these secondary metabolites. A wide variety of phenolic substances and amides derived from spices have been found to possess potent chemopreventive, anti-mutagenic, anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties. Representing the first discussion of the chemical properties of a wide cross section of important spices, this book covers extensively the three broad categories of plant-derived natural products: the terpenoids, the alkaloids and the phenyl propanoids and allied phenolic compounds. Spice crops such as black pepper, ginger, turmeric and coriander are covered with information on botany, composition, uses, chemistry, international specifications and the properties of a broad range of common and uncommon spices.

Many herbs and spices, in addition to their culinary use for taste, contain chemical compounds which have medicinal uses. For this reason, herbs and spices have been used for treating various ailments since ancient times. Modern scientific methods have enabled researchers to isolate bioactive compounds from herbs and spices and perform chemical analyses, which can be used to develop medicines to treat different diseases. This book series is a compilation of current reviews on studies performed on herbs and spices. Science of Spices & Culinary Herbs is essential reading for medicinal chemists, herbalists and biomedical researchers interested in the science of natural herbs and spices that are a common part of regional diets and folk medicine.

Traditional uses of spices : an overview / Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara ... [et al.] -- Black pepper (Piper nigrum) and its bioactive compound, piperine / Krishnapura Srinivasan -- Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) and its active constituent, 1,8-cineole / Archana Sengupta and Shamee Bhattacharjee -- Molecular targets and health benefits of cinnamon / Kiran Panickar ... [et al.] -- Cloves (eugenol) / Yoshinori Kadoma ... [et al.] -- Coriander / Sanjeev Shukla and Sanjay Gupta -- Fenugreek (diosgenin) / Jayadev Raju and Chinthalapally V. Rao -- Diallyl sulfide from garlic / Girija Kuttan and Punathil Thejass -- Ginger (6-gingerol) / Nidhi Nigam, Jasmine George, and Yogeshwer Shukla -- Kalonji (thymoquinone) / Ahmed O. Kaseb and Abdel-Hafez A. Selim -- Kokum (garcinol) / Manoj K. Pandey, Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara, and Bharat B. Aggarwal -- Capsaicin : a hot spice in the chemoprevention of cancer / Joydeb Kumar Kundu and Young-Joon Surh -- Rosemary (rosmarinic acid) / Jongsung Lee ... [et al.] -- Mint and its constituents / Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara ... [et al.] -- Turmeric (curcumin) / Jen-Kun Lin and Shoei-Yn Lin Shiau.

Though their usage greatly diminished at the dawn of the scientific area, Indian spices were traditional parts of healthcare for thousands of years. However, over the last decade, largely due to the growth in popularity of complementary and alternative medicine, spices have regained attention due to their physiological and functional benefits. By applying modern research methods to traditional remedies, it is possible to discover what made these spices such effective ailment treatments. Ethnopharmacological Investigation of Indian Spices is a collection of innovative research that analyzes the chemical properties and medical benefits of Indian spices in order to design new therapeutic drugs and for possible utility in the food industry. The book specifically examines the phytochemistry and biosynthetic pathway of active constituents of Indian spices. Highlighting a wide range of topics including pharmacology, antioxidant activity, and anti-cancer research, this book is ideally designed for pharmacologists, pharmacists, physicians, nutritionists, botanists, biotechnicians, biochemists, researchers, academicians, and students at the graduate and post-graduate levels interested in alternative healthcare.

Extensive experimentation and high failure rates are a well-recognised downside to the drug discovery process, with the resultant high levels of inefficiency and waste producing a negative environmental impact. Sustainable and Green Approaches in Medicinal Chemistry reveals how medicinal and green chemistry can work together to directly address this issue. After providing essential context to the growth of green chemistry in relation to drug discovery in Part 1, the book goes on to identify a broad range of practical methods and synthesis techniques in Part 2. Part 3 reveals how medicinal chemistry techniques can be used to improve efficiency, mitigate failure and increase the environmental benignity of the entire drug discovery process, whilst Parts 4 and 5 discuss natural products and microwave-induced chemistry. Finally, the role of computers in drug discovery is explored in Part 6. - Identifies novel and cost effective green medicinal chemistry approaches for improved efficiency and sustainability - Reflects on techniques for a broad range of compounds and materials - Highlights sustainable and green chemistry pathways for molecular synthesis

Written as a textbook with an online laboratory manual for students and adopting faculties, this work is intended for non-science majors / liberal studies science courses and will cover a range of scientific principles of food, cooking and the science of taste and smell. Chapters include: The Science of Food and Nutrition of Macromolecules; Science of Taste and Smell; Milk, Cream, and Ice Cream, Metabolism and Fermentation; Cheese, Yogurt, and Sour Cream; Browning; Fruits and Vegetables; Meat, Fish, and Eggs; Dough, Cakes, and Pastry; Chilies, Herbs, and Spices; Beer and Wine; and Chocolate, Candy and Other Treats. Each chapters begins with biological, chemical, and /or physical principles underlying food topics, and a discussion of what is happening at the molecular level. This unique approach is unique should be attractive to chemistry, biology or biochemistry departments looking for a new way to bring students into their classroom. There are no pre-requisites for the course and the work is appropriate for all college levels and majors.