This volume summarizes current research on the influence of plant polyphenols on human health, promoting collaboration between chemists and biologists to improve our understanding of their biological significance, and expanding the possibilities for their use.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 3rd Tannin Conference, held in July 1998, with the objective of promoting collaboration between chemists and biologists to improve our understanding of the biological significance of plant polyphenols and to expand possibilities for their use. Special efforts were made to summarize late-1990s research on the influence of these compounds on human health. Some of the topics included are: hydrolyzable tannins; condensed tannins and related compounds; biotechnology; antioxidant properties and heart disease; conformation, complexation, and antimicrobial properties; polyphenols and cancer; polyphenols in commerce; polyphenols and ecology. A comparison of the contributions to the proceedings of the first, second, and third of these conferences shows important growth in the recognition of the significance of these compounds on the part of biologists and biochemists and increasing relevance in medically-oriented disciplines.