Edible Plants as Sources of Polyphenols: Cultivation Techniques, Extraction, and Nutraceutical Applications

Dear Colleagues,

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), there are around 250,000 plant varieties available for agriculture, and only a few of them have been exploited for human diet. Nonetheless, despite the existence of many edible plants, most are underused, although having many nutritional and nutraceutical properties that could encourage their valorization and utilization, to diversify food resources and explore new applications for human health. Indeed, as the population grows, the consumption of neglected plants for food and medicine has increased worldwide, and this can be attributed to their high nutritional potential as well as their health benefits. Nevertheless, thousands of edible species remain wild or semi-wild and are not still domesticated. These underutilized edible species have the potential to improve food systems toward being more nutritious, sustainable, and resilient to climate change. Among the variety of metabolites present in neglected edible plants, polyphenols (e.g., flavonoids, tannins, anthocyanins) work as effective ingredients for the prevention of many chronic and degenerative diseases. In addition, these compounds can act as antimicrobials and antioxidants, improving the shelf-life of food products, as well as colorants for the food industry. Therefore, the exploitation of polyphenolic-rich edible plants that can be employed as nutraceuticals, functional products, food protectants, or supplements is desirable. In this Topic, the exploitation of polyphenolic rich wild edible plants, their cultivation techniques and strategies, extraction processes, nutritional value, and nutraceutical applications are themes to be explored. We invite both original research articles and reviews papers, based on but not limited to the keywords presented below.

Dr. Luana Beatriz dos Santos Nascimento
Dr. Cecilia Brunetti
Dr. Antonella Gori
Topic Editors