Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that exists in eight different forms, which are $\alpha$, $\beta$, $\gamma$, and $\delta$ tocopherol, and $\alpha$, $\beta$, $\gamma$, and $\delta$ tocotrienol. Tocopherols and tocotrienols are important antioxidant in foods, feeds and their raw materials, where they scavenge lipid radicals. Each form has its own biological activity, the measure of potency or functional use in the body. Antioxidants such as vitamin E act to protect cells against the effects of free radicals, which are potentially damaging by-products of the body's metabolism. Free radicals can cause cell dam-age that may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer, The content of tocopherols and tocotrienols vary depending on the environmental condition such as growing regions, temperature, crops and varieties. This report deals with chemical and physical properties and extends to their nutritional and health effect on the tocopherols and tocotrienols in cereal grains.

The trace mineral, selenium (Se), is an essential nutrient of fundamental importance to human health. It is also very toxic and can cause Se poisoning (selenosis) in human and animals when its intake exceeds a suitable amount. Se functions within mammalian systems primarily in the form of solenoprotein. About 35 selenoproteins have been identified, though many have not yet been fully elucidated. Selenoproteins contain Se as selenocyseine (Sec) and perform variety of structural and enzymic roles; the enzymic roles are best-known as the antioxidants for hydrogen peroxides and lipid peroxides, and the catalysts for production of activity thyroid hormone. Glutathione peroxidases ($\textrm{GP}_X$) among the selenoproteins prevent the generation of free radicals and decrease the risk of oxidative damage to tissues, as does thioredoxin reductase (TR). TR also provides reducing power for several biochemical processes. Selenoproteins P and W are involved with oxidant defense in plasma and muscle, respectively, A selenoprotein is also required for sperm motility and may reduce the risk of miscarriage. Some epidemiological studies have revealed an inverse correlation between Se status and cardiovascular disease, and there is considerable evidence 1mm population com-parison data and animal studies that Se is anticarcinogenic. It is also suggested that Se should be needed for the proper functioning of the immune system, and appear to be a key nutrient in counteracting the development of virulence and inhibiting HIV progression to AIDS. As research continues, the role of selenium in the etiology of chronic diseases like appropriate medical nutrition therapy can be delivered and its effectiveness assessed. Se status in individuals is affected by diet and the availability of the Se. The Se content of plants is affected by the content and availability of the element in the soil in which they are grown, and so greatly varies from country to country, while the Se composition of meat reflects the feeding patterns of livestock. This paper provides an overview on Se as an essential trace mineral for human.

Plant fats and oils contain phytosterols as naturally occurring constituents, which are present in pure or esterified form, or conjugated as glycosides. The predominant phytosterol is sitosterol and minor components are campesterol, stigmasterol, $\Delta^7$-avenasterol and brassicasterol. They play a key role in cell membrane function of plants as cholesterol in animals. Phytosterols have been known for many years for their properties for reducing blood cholesterol levels, as well as their other beneficial health effects for cancer preventive biological-active substances. The objective of this paper is to present a description of the recent advances in phytosterols for future research.

Phytoestrogens are oestrogenic compounds found in plants and consist of isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans. The structural similarity of phytoestrogens to endogenous oestrogens has promoted the hypothesis that phytoestrogens exert hormonal or anti-hormonal effects relevant to the risk of hormone-dependent disease and/or their suitability as a dietary alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Epidemiological studies suggest that food stuffs containing phytoestrogens may have a beneficial role in protecting against a number of chronic disease and conditions. It is thought that these estrogen-like compounds may protect against chronic diseases, such as hormone-dependent cancers, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Furthermore, phytoestrogens are used as a natural alternative to hormone replacement therapy and to reduce menopausal symptoms. Phytoestrogens are considered good candidates for use in natural therapies and as chemopreventive agents in adults. However safe and efficacious levels have yet to be established.

The number of natural products obtained from plants has now reached over 100,000 and new chemical compounds are being discovered ever year. Medicinal and Aromatic plants and their extracts have been used for centuries to relieve pain, aid healing, kill bacteria and insects are important as the antifungal and anti-herbivore agents with further compounds being involved in the symbiotic associations. Although their functions in plants have not been fully established, it is Known that some substances have growth regulatory properties while others are involved in pollination and seed dispersal. The complex nature of these chemicals are usually produced in various types of secretory structures which is an important character of a plant family and also influenced and controlled by genetic and ecological factors. Detailed anatomical description of these structures ave relevant to the market value of the plants, the verification of authenticity of a given species and for the detection of substitution or adulteration. Volatile oils are used for their therapeutic action for flavoring of lemon, in perfumery of rose or as starting materials for the synthesis of other compounds of turpentine. For therapeutic purposes they are administered as inhalations of eucalyptus oil, peppermint oil, as gargles and mouthwashes of thymol and transdermally many essential oils including those of lavender, etc. With these current trend for using volatile components in essential oil will be increasing in the future in Korea and in the world as well.

There is much evidence suggesting that compounds present in soybean can prevent cancer in many different organ systems. Especially, soybean is one of the most important source of dietary saponins, which have been considered as possible anticarcinogens to inhibit tumor development and major active components contributing to the cholesterol-towering effect. Also they were reported to inhibit of the infectivity of the AIDS virus (HIV) and the Epstein-Barr virus. The biological activity of saponins depend on their specific chemical structures. Various types of triterpenoid saponins are present in soy-bean seeds. Among them, group B soyasaponis were found as the primary soyasaponins present in soybean, and th e 2, 3-dihydro-2, 5-dihydroxy-6- methyl-4H-pyran-4-one(DDMP)-conjugated soyasaponin $\alpha\textrm{g}$, $\beta\textrm{g}$, and $\beta$ a were the genuine group B saponins, which have health benefits. On the other hand, group A saponins are responsible for the undesirable bitter and astringent taste in soybean. The variation of saponin composition in soybean seeds is explained by different combinations of 9 alleles of 4 gene loci that control the utilization of soyasapogenol glycosides as substrates. The mode of inheritance of saponin types is explained by a combination of co-dominant, dominant and recessive acting genes. The funtion of theses genes is variety-specific and organ specific. Therefore distribution of various saponins types was different according to seed tissues. Soyasaponin $\beta\textrm{g}$ was detected in both parts whereas $\alpha\textrm{g}$ and $\beta$ a was detected only in hypocotyls and cotyledons, respectively. Soyasaponins ${\gamma}$g and $\gamma\textrm{g}$ were minor saponin constituents in soybean. In case group A saponins were mostly detected in hypocotyls. Also, the total soyasaponin contents varied among different soy-bean varieties and concentrations in the cultivated soy-beans were 2-fold lower than in the wild soybeans. But the contents of soyasaponin were not so influenced by environmental effects. The composition and concentration of soyasaponins were different among the soy products (soybean flour, soycurd, tempeh, soymilk, etc.) depending on the processing conditions.

To enjoy a healthy life, it is important to have a well-balanced diet. However, in today's society, there is an increase in the consumption of preprocessed foods and frequency of eating out. Also the western diet, which is becoming move popular worldwide, contains relatively high levels of protein and fat, and a low amount of fiber, Furthermore, the increased availability of favorite foods has created a condition were the individual diet is less variable. With these conditions, it is difficult to maintain a diet that is nutritionally balanced. With these unbalanced diets, which are difficult to change, there has been an increase in adult disease and health problems, such as colon and breast cancer, It is speculated that metabolites for carcinogens are produced from diet components and that intestinal bacteria contribute to the production of these metabolites. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the relationships between health, diet, and intestinal microflora. Soybean oligosaccharide is composed of water-soluble saccharides that have been extracted from soybean whey, a by-product from the production of soy protein. This is mainly a mixture of mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrasac-charides, with the principle components being the oligosaccharide raffinose and stachyose. When consumed by humans, the oligosaccharides cannot be digested in the human duodenal and small intestinal mucosa, and these are selectively utilized by beneficial bifidobacteria in intestines. The results of acute and subacute toxicity tests, soy-bean oligosaccharides were nonpoisonous. Soybean oligosaccharides promote the growth of indigenous bifido-bacteria in the colon which by their antagonistic effects, suppress the activity of putrefactive bacteria. Also, they reduce toxic metabolites, detrimental enzymes and plasma lipid, and increase in the frequency of bowel evacuation and fecal quantities. Consequently, soybean oligosaccharides as functional foods components have potential roles in the prevention and medical treatment of chronic adult diseases. The study of processing property and physiological function of soybean oligosacchavides and development of high oligosaccharide variety allow the creation of new and exciting foodstuffs that aye functional healthy.

Sesame seed are one of the oldest oil-bearing crops known to man. Not only are they nutritious, they are physicologically beneficial. Because of these properties, the promotion of sesame as a crop is set to increase from now on. The lignan component of sesame, which has an antioxidative function, varies considerably. In addition, the seeds remain viable for longer than other crops. At low temperature, it has been reported that the seed remain viable for up to thirty years. This is due to the lignan content of the seeds. In the last twenty years, the mysteries of the natural chemistry of sesame seeds have been unravelled one by one. Up to now, the lignan component has been found to have an $\alpha$-tocopherol synergist effect, an anti-aging effect, a cancer suppressing effect, a hypertension reduction effect, an effect on the promotion of liver function, an effect on the control of the ration of unsaturated fat, and an effect on the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids. The lignan component of sesame does not simply have an anti-oxidant function, but has diverse recently discovered physiological uses which make the study of lignan highly rewarding.

Carotenoids are the major pigment of pepper (Capsicum annuum) and tomato (Lycopersicon esulentum) which are very important foods in Korea. However the analysis of carotenoids is quite complicated because of their diversity and the presence of cis-trans isomeric forms of these compounds. The objective of this review is to collect the achievements on the field of the chromatographic separation of carotenoids in food and some vegetables, to describe and critically evaluate the techniques, And to compare the benefits and shortcomings of the various chromatographic methods such as adsorption and reversed-phase HPLC and thin-layer chromatography. HPLC equipped with ultra-violet or photodiode array detection is most often employed in routine use for the analysis of carotenoids. Here, the method to analyze carotenoids by HPLC separation after solvent extration and purification from pepper powder samples done in our laboratory is also mentioned.

To clarify the botanical origins of oriental medicines which have been argued or confused for plant origins, species of original plants were investigated through the textural research for oriental medicines and the comparison of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and North Korean Pharmacopoeia. Twenty oriental medicines were studied; Angelicae Gigantis Radix, Rhei Rhizoma, Atractylodis Rhizoma Alba, Aconiti Lateralis Radix Preparata, Acanthopanacis Cortex, Osterici Radix, Cnidii Rhizoma, Saposhnikovae Radix, Magnoliae Cortex, Paeoniae Radix, Liriopis Tuber, Zanthoxyli Fructus, Achyranthis Radix, Sinomeni Caulis et Rhizoma, Polygonati Rhizoma, Cinnamomi Cortex, Visci Herba et Loranthi Ramulus, Fritillariae Thunbergii Bulbus, Pogostemonis Herba, and Curcumae Longae Radix.