Potentialities of antioxidants in fruit crops

Abstract

The doctrine 'Let food be thy medicine' espoused by Hippocrates nearly 2500 years ago is receiving interest by the researchers now a days. Recently, the focus has been shifted to the achievement of a balanced diet, and maximization of both life expectancy and quality, by identifying food ingredients that improve the capacity to resist disease and enhance health (Agte and Tarwadi, 2012).There has been a rapid increase in the oxidative stress and associated disorders such as prevalence of diabetes, cataract and cardiovascular diseases, due to the rapid changes in diet and lifestyle. The natural strategies such as increased intake of antioxidant rich food could be a valuable tool in coping up with the stress.Fruits form an integral part of our daily balanced diet ensuring abundant supply of antioxidants which prevents the risk of many chronic diseases (FAO, 2004).