Food plants medical foods

The medical use of botanicals in their natural and unprocessed form undoubtedly began when the first intelligent animals noticed that certain food plants altered particular body functions. Much information exists about the historical use and effectiveness of botanical products. Unfortunately, the quality of this information is extremely variable. One of the most complete compendiums of clinical recommendations regarding the use of botanicals is the Report of the German Commission E (a committee that sets standards for herbal medications in that country Blumenthal, 2000). Interest in the endocrine effects and possible nutritional benefits of certain purified chemicals such as dehydroepiandrosterone. melatonin, high-dose vitamins, and minerals has led to a parallel development of consumer demand for such substances. These substances, together with the botanicals, constitute a substantial source of profits for those who exploit the concept of "alternative medicine."... 

Plant oils are excellent sources of some valuable compounds such as unsaturated fatty acids, phytosterols, squalene, pigments, antioxidants, vitamins, waxes, glycolipids, and lipoproteins. Plant oils could be employed for technological uses as biodiesel, lubricants, surfactants, emulsifiers, biopolymers, and so on. Vegetable oils also can serve as appropriate sources for the production of valuable compounds having applications in food, pharmaceutical, medical, and environmental fields. Attention has been focused on various types of value-added fatty acids (polyunsaturated fatty acids, conjugated fatty... 

The ASE technique has been used in the analysis of biological samples for two main purposes, namely to determine contaminants in foods and animal tissues, and to extract target species from animal and plant tissues [110]. In the pharmaceutical field, ASE has also been used for two primary purposes, namely to extract pharmacologically active substances from plants and, especially, for quality control of tablets and medical foods [111]. 

We must be cautious about what conclusions we draw from new research on polyphenols in relation to superfruits. The polyphenol class as a whole is a highly productive research topic in food and medical science. While scientists are continually adding to what we know about the possible impact of these plant compounds on human health, we need to be wary about the use of unconfirmed results for marketing by manufacturers eager to have a competitive edge in selling superfruit products. This practice unfortunately leads to false claims of effectiveness and to their acceptance by consumers as fact when actually the research is too premature to warrant conclusions about health benefits. 

However, it was not until 1712, when Engelbert Kaempfer, who lived in Japan from 1690 to 1692 as a medical officer of the Dutch East India Company, published his book Amoenitatum Exoticarum that the Western world fully understood the connection between the cultivation of soybeans and its utilization as a food plant. Kaempfer s drawing of the soybean is accurate, and his detailed description of how to make soy sauce is cotrect. 

There are several choices available for tank interior coatings. Plants making food containers or medical items should consider Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved coatings while standard coatings are appropriate for most other applications. Extremely abrasive materials may require special coatings to reduce wear. 

Quantitative analysis of flavonoids in plant, food, and biological samples is important because these compounds are partially responsible for the biological activity and medical benefits in these products. Flavonoids are commonly used as chemical markers for quality control purpose of plant and food products. 

The transition from self-medication with plant material to the manufacture of compounds for use as medicinal drugs, i.e., pharmaceuticals, dates back at least 2,000 years. A few highly significant artifacts help to elucidate this development. For example, in 1989 a first-aid kit was pulled from the wreckage of 2,100-year-old Roman-era ship the careflilly sealed wooden chest contained phis made of ground-up vegetables, herbs, and other food plants such as celery, onions, and carrots. All of the phis (which have just recently been analyzed chemically) contain ingredients referred to in classic medical texts from the same era. These pills are the oldest pharmaceuticals that have been found to date, and their relatively... 

Whereas tests (186) indicated that ampholytes were effective in skin cleansing for preoperative use, for wound cleansing, and as an antiseptic in the oral cavity (187), as well as other medical appHcations, the food and beverage industries have proved to be the principal employers of these compounds. Ampholytes are used as sanitizers and disinfectants, not as food preservatives. Low toxicity, absence of skin irritation, and noncorrosiveness, along with antimicrobial activity, has given ampholytes acceptance in dairies, meat plants, and the brewing and soft drink industries. These disinfectants have been manufactured and distributed in Europe and Japan, but not in the United States. 

Arctium lappa L. (burdock) is used as food, preventive and medical remedy. East medicine usually uses it as a fresh root of its first year of vegetation. In some countries burdock is cultivated for use as food and a medicinal herb. Thus the development of analytical documentation for this plant raw material is essential. 

Natural pigment production for food coloration includes the entire spectrum of biotechnologies. For example, biological production of carotenoid pigments has medical implications because carotenoids are nutritive (pro-vitamin A), antioxidant, and photoprotective. Carotenoids are produced alternately in agricultural systems (plants), industrial bioreactors (bacterial and fungi), and marine systems (cyanobacteria and algae). 

NMR microscopy has become a well-established method in many different areas of research. The scope of the disciplines involved is extremely broad and is still expanding, encompassing chemical, petrochemical, biological and medical research, plant physiology, aerospace engineering, process engineering, industrial food processing, materials and polymer sciences. 

Ultrasonically assisted extraction is also widely used for the isolation of effective medical components and bioactive principles from plant material [195]. The most common application of low-intensity ultrasound is as an analytical technique for providing information about the physico-chemical properties of foods, such as in the analysis of edible fats and oils (oil composition, oil content, droplet size of emulsions, and solid fat content) [171,218]. Ultrasonic techniques are also used for fluids characterisation [219]. 

---