Glycosides are sugar derivatives in which the hydroxyl (-OH) group attached to carbon 1 is substituted by an alcoholic, phenolic or other groups which are used medicinally for their stimulant effects on the heart. There are a number of glycocides which occur in nature, mainly in plants. These compounds have found importance in therapeutic, nutritional and clinical use because they possess a variety of biological activities. Summarizing significant contemporary information on chemical, nutritional, biological and medicinal aspects of naturally occurring glycosides, this book presents a sequence of chapters that deal with chemical structures, occurrence, biosynthetic and biological activity. It contains: mono- and tri-terpenoid, limonoid, cyanogenic, steroidal, phenolic, cardiac active glycosides, as well as steroidal glycoalkaloids, aminoglycosidic antibiotics, saponins, and glycoproteins and glycolipids. The presence of glycosides and glycoconjugates in animals and micro-organisms is also included.

The Maillard reaction, named after its inventor, Louis-Camille Maillard, refers to reactions between amines and carbonyl compounds. It has been detected in heated, dried and stored foods and in mammalian organisms. It is responsible for changes in the colour and nutritive value of foodstuffs. This volume contains essays on our current understanding of the reaction, including updated reviews on its involvement in the scavenging of oxygen, the thermal generation of aromas, and the mechanistic aspects of free radicals.