Research Progress on Bioactive Components and Their Functions of Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

Globally, humans are at the risk of increasing incidence of metabolic diseases, the occurrence of which is closely linked to people's daily diet. Fruits and vegetables are one of the important daily food types of people. Varieties of plant secondary metabolites are contained in fruits and vegetables, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthraquinones, terpenoids, alkaloids, steroidal saponins and polysaccharides. These metabolites usually have multiply bioactive functions, such as antioxidant, antitumor, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, neuroprotection, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and disease prevention, which is of great importance in preventing the occurrence of human metabolic diseases. However, the composition and content, bioactive functions and mechanisms of action of these metabolites in different types of fruits and vegetables vary greatly. The research progress of the main bioactive components of fruits and vegetables and their multi-functions are reviewed in this paper to promote people's understanding and utilization of functional components of fruits and vegetables.