Climate Change and Plant Foods: The Influence of Environmental Stressors on Plant Metabolites and Future Food Sources

Šola, Ivana; Poljuha, Danijela; Pavičić, Ivana; Jurinjak Tušek, Ana; Šamec, Dunja

doi:10.3390/foods14030416

Open AccessReview

Climate Change and Plant Foods: The Influence of Environmental Stressors on Plant Metabolites and Future Food Sources

by

Ivana Šola

^1,†

,

Danijela Poljuha

^2,†

,

Ivana Pavičić

²,

Ana Jurinjak Tušek

³

and

Dunja Šamec

^4,*

¹

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Horvatovac 102a, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

²

Department of Agriculture and Nutrition, Institute of Agriculture and Tourism, Karla Huguesa 8, 52440 Poreč, Croatia

³

Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

⁴

Department of Food Technology, University North, Trg Dr. Žarka Dolinara 1, 48000 Koprivnica, Croatia

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Foods 2025, 14(3), 416; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030416

Submission received: 21 December 2024 / Revised: 22 January 2025 / Accepted: 24 January 2025 / Published: 27 January 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Review on Plant Foods)

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Abstract

Climate change is reshaping global agriculture by altering temperature regimes and other environmental conditions, with profound implications for food security and agricultural productivity. This review examines how key environmental stressors—such as extreme temperatures, water scarcity, increased salinity, UV-B radiation, and elevated concentrations of ozone and CO₂—impact the nutritional quality and bioactive compounds in plant-based foods. These stressors can modify the composition of essential nutrients, particularly phytochemicals, which directly affect the viability of specific crops in certain regions and subsequently influence human dietary patterns by shifting the availability of key food resources. To address these challenges, there is growing interest in resilient plant species, including those with natural tolerance to stress and genetically modified variants, as well as in alternative protein sources derived from plants. Additionally, unconventional food sources, such as invasive plant species and algae, are being explored as sustainable solutions for future nutrition.

Keywords: climate change; environmental stressors; phytochemicals; plant-based food sources

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MDPI and ACS Style

Šola, I.; Poljuha, D.; Pavičić, I.; Jurinjak Tušek, A.; Šamec, D. Climate Change and Plant Foods: The Influence of Environmental Stressors on Plant Metabolites and Future Food Sources. Foods 2025, 14, 416. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030416

AMA Style

Šola I, Poljuha D, Pavičić I, Jurinjak Tušek A, Šamec D. Climate Change and Plant Foods: The Influence of Environmental Stressors on Plant Metabolites and Future Food Sources. Foods. 2025; 14(3):416. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030416

Chicago/Turabian Style

Šola, Ivana, Danijela Poljuha, Ivana Pavičić, Ana Jurinjak Tušek, and Dunja Šamec. 2025. "Climate Change and Plant Foods: The Influence of Environmental Stressors on Plant Metabolites and Future Food Sources" Foods 14, no. 3: 416. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030416

APA Style

Šola, I., Poljuha, D., Pavičić, I., Jurinjak Tušek, A., & Šamec, D. (2025). Climate Change and Plant Foods: The Influence of Environmental Stressors on Plant Metabolites and Future Food Sources. Foods, 14(3), 416. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030416

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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Climate Change and Plant Foods: The Influence of Environmental Stressors on Plant Metabolites and Future Food Sources

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