Abstract
Flavonoids represent a wide group of plant secondary metabolites implicated in many physiological roles, from the attraction of pollinators to the protection against biotic or abiotic stresses. Flavonoids are synthetized in a number of horticultural crops that are important components of our daily diet. In the last decades, the consumption of vegetables rich in antioxidants has been strongly promoted from the perspective of prevention/protection against chronic diseases. Therefore, due to their nutritional importance, several attempts have been made to enhance flavonoid levels in species of agronomic interest. In this review, we focus on the flavonoid biodiversity among the major horticultural species, which is responsible of differences among closely related species and influences the qualitative/quantitative composition. We also review the role of flavonoids in the nutritional quality of plant products, contributing to their organoleptic and nutritional properties, and the main strategies of biofortification to increase their content.
Highlights
To date, more than 6000 different flavonoids have been reported among the species of the plant kingdom
The phenylpropanoid pathway can be divided in an early branch of biosynthesis, driven by enzymes responsible for the production of all the main precursors, and late branches of biosynthesis, which generate the downstream flow of flavonoids
Each species synthesizes specific flavonoid subgroups, which constitutes a chemical signature expressing the biodiversity of these phytochemicals and the specialization acquired by each species during evolution
Summary
More than 6000 different flavonoids have been reported among the species of the plant kingdom Based on their chemical structure and modification, flavonoids have been classified into many subgroups, as chalcones, flavones, isoflavones, flavonols, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, flavanols, and aurones [1,2]. All these compounds are synthesized via the phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway starting from the common precursor, phenylalanine. The reasons explaining why flavonoids are strongly conserved along the plant kingdom lie mainly on their physiological functions Their role as developmental regulators of auxin transport and catabolism and the protection against UV radiation are considered the most ancestral functions of these phytochemicals [3]. Human domestication has been another factor affecting the metabolic compositions in current horticultural crops and their nutritional value
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