Bioactive Phytochemicals and Functional Food Ingredients in Fruits and Vegetables 2017

Dear Colleagues,

 The importance of diet on human health and well-being has been widely recognized. Dietary guidelines around the world recommend the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, as good sources of dietary fiber, essential nutrients, and phytochemicals, to improve global health and reduce chronic disease risk. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is indeed associated with a lower incidence of several degenerative pathologies, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. In the last few years, numerous studies have demonstrated a wide range of biological properties and healthy benefits exerted by dietary phytochemicals, highlighting their beneficial role both in the prevention and in the treatment of several diseases. At the same time, functional foods have gained an enormous interest all around the world, as shown by the annual increase of their market of about 15%. Indeed, many now embrace the idea that functional foods play specific roles at different times throughout life and accept that certain foods may help to maintain a good health and prevent diseases.

The main aims of the Special Issue on "Bioactive Phytochemicals and Functional Food Ingredients in Fruits and Vegetables 2016" is to be an open forum where researchers may share their investigations and findings in this promising field and, thanks to the open access platform, increase their visibility and the chances to interact with industries and the production systems.

Prof. Maurizio Battino
Dr. Francesca Giampieri
Guest Editor

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