Handbook of Functional Beverages and Human Health provides potential applications and new developments in functional beverages, nutraceuticals, and health foods. In addition to serving as a reference manual, it summarizes the current state of knowledge in key research areas and contains novel ideas for future research and development. Additionally, it provides an easy-to-read text suitable for teaching senior undergraduate and postgraduate students in the relevant areas.

The book is divided into seven major sections: Section I covers market trends, global regulations, flavor challenges, chemistry, and health with specific reference to cancer chemoprevention and the prevention of postprandial metabolic stress due to consumption of functional beverages. Section II, by far the largest part of the book, has 39 chapters on the most popular fruit juices (apple juice, lemon juice, pomegranate juice, watermelon juice, etc.). Section III reports on herbal and vegetable juices (carrot juice, Chinese medicinal herbs and root-based beverages, tomato juice, and vegetable-containing juices).

Section IV details caffeinated beverages, including different varieties of tea (green, black, oolong, and herbal teas), coffee (coffee and beverages from green coffee beans), and cocoa and chocolate. Section V is on dairy and soy beverages, while Section VI is on alcoholic beverages (wine) and water (maple water). Finally, Section VII describes fermented (kefir, koumiss, and ayran) and fortified functional beverages (applications of plant sterols and stanols in functional beverages, beverages fortified with omega-3 fatty acids, dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins, probiotics and prebiotics in functional beverages, functional beverages in weight management, fortified sport drinks, and peptide-enriched functional beverages).