This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on the nutritional and health benefits of beverage crops. The first chapter introduces the importance of coffee leaves, highlighting their high antioxidant potential and impact on fruit quality. The chapter provides an inventory of molecules identified in the leaves of cultivated coffee trees, as well as the beneficial effects of these molecules on human health. The second chapter considers the nutritional and health-related aspects of regular coffee consumption, focussing on its ability to prevent the onset of chronic diseases. The chapter also highlights that above-average consumption of coffee can lead to the development of side effects, including caffeine tolerance, dependence and withdrawal. The third chapter discusses the main phytochemicals contained in tea, including polyphenols, amino acids, vitamins, carbohydrates and purine alkaloids. The chapter reviews the current analytical techniques available for tea characterisation, such as chromatic and spectroscopic techniques. The final chapter explores the beneficial health effects of consuming tea on a regular basis. The chapter considers the potential role for tea in combatting chronic diseases, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as the possible mechanisms of actions of tea constituents.

This book introduces the fundamentals and applications of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) property of noble metallic nanoparticles, with an emphasis on the biosensing applications of plasmonic nanoparticles, especially in living cell imaging and photothermal therapy. It provides an overview of the different operating principles of plasmonic sensors, particularly the single-nanoparticle-based detections, and a series of creative biosensors based on the modulation of different parameters of nanoparticles (particle size, shape, composition and surrounding medium) for label-free detection. The interparticle coupling effect, plasmon resonance energy transfer, electron transfer on plasmonics surface are also covered in this book.

This book is intended for graduate students and researchers working in the interdisciplinary field combining chemistry, biology, material science and nanophotonics.

Yi-Tao Long is a Professor at the School of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, China.