Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word flavus, meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants. Blackberry, black currant, chokeberry, and red cabbage are examples of plants with rich contents of flavonoids. In plant biology, flavonoids fulfill diverse functions, including attraction of pollinating insects, antioxidant protection against ultraviolet light, deterrence of environmental stresses and pathogens, and regulation of cell growth.
In the present book, ten typical literatures about flavonoids published on international authoritative journals were selected to introduce the worldwide newest progress, which contains reviews or original researches on flavonoids. We hope this book can demonstrate advances in flavonoids as well as give references to the researchers, students and other related people.