Designer fruits and vegetables with enriched phytochemicals for human health

Abstract

Tsao, R., Khanizadeh, S. and Dale, A. 2006. Designer fruits and vegetables with enriched phytochemicals for human health. Can. J. Plant Sci. 86: 773-786. 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. Maints facteurs influent cependant sur la synthèse des substances phytochimiques dans les fruits et les légumes. Le génotype en est un fondamental, mais les pratiques agricoles et des paramètres environnementaux comme l'emplacement, la saison végétative, le type de sol et le bilan minéral, la maturité de la plante, le stockage et le conditionnement après la récolte ont tous une incidence sensible sur de nombreuses substances phytochimiques. On doit prendre en compte tous ces éléments avant de créer des fruits et de légumes riches en anti-oxydants phytochimiques. Il s'agit là d'un travail complexe appelant la collaboration de scientifiques de nombreuses disciplines.

Fontes vegetais naturais de antioxidantes

“…141 Estudos genéticos, para obter uma maior produção de agentes antioxidantes e o desenvolvimento de tecnologias como o nanoencapsulamento, que controlaria a incor-poração ou a perda de antioxidantes e vitaminas, 142 são perspectivas de grande interesse na área.…”

Effect of production systems on phenolic composition and oxygen radical absorbance capacity of ‘Orléans’ strawberry

“…), which contain high levels of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, are a good source of natural antioxidants (Khanizadeh, Tao et al, 2009;Seeram, Lee, Scheuller, & Heber, 2006;Wang et al, 2010). These phenolic constituents provide protection against harmful free radicals and have also been associated with lower occurrences and mortality rates due to cancer and heart diseases as well as offering plenty of other health benefits (Henning et al, 2010;Pinto et al, 2008;Seeram, 2008;Sesso, Gaziano, Jenkins, & Buring, 2007;Tsao, Khanizadeh, & Dale, 2006;Zhang, Seeram, Lee, Feng, & Heber, 2008). Furthermore, strawberries are widely appreciated as a pleasant-tasting food either in fresh form or as processed products such as preserves, juices, syrups, jams, yogurts and ice creams.…”

Antioxidant capacity in June-bearing and day-neutral strawberry

“…Consequently, breeding and genetic manipulation might be a powerful tool for modifying antioxidant contents and creating new varieties specifically selected for improved antioxidant capacity [for review see Tsao et al (2006)]. Development of new crops with a higher amount of antioxidant activity is in response to a growing demand for natural antioxidant components by consumers, which may help protect them against widespread human diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases when taken daily in sufficient quantity (Bramley 2000).…”