Designer fruits and vegetables with enriched phytochemicals for human health

Abstract

High dietary intake of fruits and vegetables rich in phytochemicals, particularly those with antioxidant activity, has been linked to reduced risks of many chronic diseases including cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Nutraceuticals containing such bioactive phytochemicals have been popular and made available in the market. However, excessive supplementation with these extracted and sometimes purified phytochemicals may pose new health concerns. Non-processed fruits and vegetables that are known to be rich in bioactive phytochemicals are therefore advantageous for the intact and balanced phytochemical contents. However, production of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables is affected by many factors. Genotype is a fundamental factor that affects the biosynthesis of phytochemicals, but farming practices and environmental factors such as geographic location, growing season, soil type and mineral status, plant maturity, postharvest storage and processing, can all significantly affect the concentration of many phytochemicals. Development of fruits and vegetables with elevated concentrations of known antioxidant phytochemicals must consider all these factors. This is a challenging task and requires close multi-disciplinary collaborations among scientists. Key words: Phytochemicals, antioxidant, fruits, vegetables, polyphenols flavonoids