This series reviews recent developments in plant biotechnology, shows how scientific understanding leads to commercial applications, and discusses opportunities and problems in this rapidly developing field. Most important phases of plant growth, development and reproduction that affect food production and quality involve changes in plant gene expression. These include processes such as germination, flowering, ripening, seed development, formation of storage organs, senescence, and response to alterations in the environment and to pathogens. Recent developments in plant physiology, biochemistry and molecular biology mean that we are beginning to understand these processes in molecular terms. Most importantly, the availability of plant genetic engineering techniques means that we can do experiments in planta. This makes it possible to provide new scientific information about macromolecular interactions and control mechanisms, and to alter the properties of plants in a directed and controlled way. It is now possible to consider altering the properties of raw materials in the plant, by gene technology.This has profound implications for the future quality and industrial processing of plant products. This volume discusses present knowledge of the biosynthesis of plant natural products, their use as fresh produce, in processing prior to consumption and as raw materials for industrial processing, and the potential of programmes designed to change natural products within the plant by genetic engineering.
