Phytochemical Composition and Bioactivity of Horticultural Products

Dear Colleagues,

In recent decades, consumers’ attention has been more focused on the quality of food. Horticultural crops include fruits, vegetables, medicinal, aromatic, and ornamental plants which have received increasing interest due to their organoleptic, nutritional and medicinal properties.  From the nutritional aspect, horticultural crops and products are an important source of macro- and micronutrients. Underutilized horticultural crops should not be neglected too. A wide variety of horticultural plants and other plant foods provide a range of nutrients (carbohydrates, organic acids, proteins, minerals) and different bioactive compounds. The main classes of bioactive compounds commonly found in plants include phenolics, carotenoids, phytosterols, vitamins, glycosides, alkaloids and saponins. The conventional classification of bioactive compounds often found in literature is based on their pharmacological and toxicological effects.

Regular consumption of fruits, vegetables, and other plant foods has been positively correlated with the reduced risk of the development of many chronic diseases. Bioactive compounds from horticultural crops have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-ulcerogenic, antidiabetic, anti-mutagenic, and anti-cancer activities, and they act against rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, hyperlipidemia, obesity, renal disturbances, skin disorders, and aging. Moreover, horticultural crops have the potential to become a functional food that can be used in preventing and treating chronic diseases. It is well known that many bioactive compounds significantly contribute to building the resistance of horticultural crops to abiotic and biotic stresses. A balanced diet rich in nutrients, antioxidants, bioactive compounds, and phytochemicals is a prerequisite for consumers to acquire proper nutrition and welfare from horticultural crops and products.

During the past decades, extensive research has focused on the identification and evaluation of the activity of bioactive compounds in horticultural crops. Additionally, various approaches have been developed for the extraction, identification and quantification of bioactive compounds. Techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance of several different nucleus, chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectroscopy, vibrational spectroscopy techniques (infrared and Raman), as well any other single or hyphenated techniques are valuable tool in elucidation of their chemical structure, including both nutritional and bioactive compounds, and their overall quality. Ever-increasing interest for high-quality food products associated with their health beneficial effects highly encourages researchers to intensively study horticultural crops.

The provision of data through original research papers or reviews that contribute to the comprehensive knowledge about horticultural crops significant in medicine and for food, along the entire food chain, from farm to fork is very welcome. 

Prof. Dr. Jelena Popović-Djordjević
Prof. Dr. Luiz Fernando Cappa de Oliveira
Prof. Dr. Haroon Khan
Dr. Sina Siavash Moghaddam
Guest Editors

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