The presence of contaminant flavonoids in vitamin C preparations from citrus fruits initially
led Szent-Gyorgyi and his collaborators to suggest that a flavonoid compound with biological
activity for the prevention of capillary fragility was vitamin P. Later re search although
not disproving biological activity discontinued the use of the vitamin classification for
these compounds. However the ubiquitous distribution of flavonoids in living organisms and
the continued discovery of various activity in biological systems makes these compounds targets
of wide ranging investigation. This volume is primarily based on a Symposium on Flavonoids and
related com pounds held during the 212th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society held
in Orlando Florida on August 28-29 1996 under the sponsorship of the Division of Agricul
tural and Food Chemistry. While the book is not intended to be a comprehensive volume on
flavonoid research the papers provide various approaches to exploring the biological functions
of flavonoids in plants and animals their chemical modifications for enhanced activity some
analytical techniques as well as their use in food classification. A signifi cant portion is
devoted to medicinal implications of these compounds. The organizers would like to express
their appreciation to Tropicana Products Inc. Bradenton Florida Coca-Cola Foods Division
Plymouth Florida and the American Chemical Society's Division of Agricultural and Food
Chemistry for financial support. Of course the book could not be produced without the authors
whose cooperation and pa tience is greatly appreciated.
