A review with many refs. The recent development of two math. frameworks for the anal. and design of metabolic systems is reviewed here with many refs. Both frameworks employ a (log)linear kinetic metabolic model that is constructed making direct, explicit use of the individual enzyme kinetic parameters which are a foundation of Metabolic Control Anal. (MCA) information. The first framework allows the description of the dynamic responses of metabolic systems subject to fluctuations in their parameters. The second framework considers the problem of optimizing the regulatory structure of metabolic networks. Both frameworks are powerful in enabling greater insights into metab. based on MCA quantities. [on SciFinder (R)]