Rice is the main staple food after wheat for more than half of the world’s population in Asia. Apart from carbohydrate source, rice is gaining significant interest in terms of functional foods owing to the presence of aromatic compounds that impart health benefits by lowering glycemic index and rich availability of dietary fibers. The demand for aromatic rice especially basmati rice is expanding in local and global markets as aroma is considered as the best quality and desirable trait among consumers. There are more than 500 volatile aromatic compounds (VACs) vouched for excellent aroma and flavor in cooked aromatic rice due to the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, phenols, alcohols, ketones, and esters. The predominant VAC contributing to aroma is 2 acetyl-1-pyrroline, which is commonly found in aerial parts of the crop and deposits during seed maturation. So far, literature has been focused on reporting about aromatic compounds in rice but its extraction, characterization, and quantification using analytical techniques are limited. Hence, in the present review, extraction, characterization, and application of aromatic compound have been elucidated. These VACs can give a new way to food processing and beverage industry as bioflavor and bioaroma compounds that enhance value addition of beverages, food, and fermented products such as gluten-free rice breads. Furthermore, owing to their nutritional values these VACs can be used in biofortification that ultimately addresses the food nutrition security.

Sustainable agricultural production largely depends upon the viability and longevity of high-quality seeds during storage. Legumes are considered as rich source of dietary protein that helps to ensure nutritional security, but associated with poor seed longevity that hinders their performance and productivity in farmer's fields. Seed longevity is the key determinant to assure proper seed plant value and crop yield. Thus, maintenance of seed longevity during storage is of prime concern and a pre-requisite for enhancing crop productivity of legumes. Seed longevity is significantly correlated with other seed quality parameters such as germination, vigor, viability and seed coat permeability that affect crop growth and development, consequently distressing crop yield. Therefore, information on genetic basis and regulatory networks associated with seed longevity, as well as molecular dissection of traits linked to longevity could help in developing crop varieties with good storability. Keeping this in view, the present review focuses towards highlighting the molecular basis of seed longevity, with special emphasis on candidate genes and proteins associated with seed longevity and their interplay with other quality parameters. Further, an attempt was made to provide information on 3D structures of various genetic loci (genes/proteins) associated to seed longevity that could facilitate in understanding the interactions taking place within the seed at molecular level. This review compiles and provides information on genetic and genomic approaches for the identification of molecular pathways and key players involved in the maintenance of seed longevity in legumes, in a holistic manner. Finally, a hypothetical fast-forward breeding pipeline has been provided, that could assist the breeders to successfully develop varieties with improved seed longevity in legumes.