Antioxidant Phytochemicals in Fresh Produce: Exploitation of Genotype Variation and Advancements in Analytical Protocols
Journal
Frontiers in Chemistry
Date Issued
February 6, 2018
DOI
10.3389/fchem.2017.00095
Abstract
Horticultural commodities (fruit and vegetables) are the major dietary source of several
bioactive compounds of high nutraceutical value for humans, including polyphenols,
carotenoids and vitamins. The aim of the current review was dual. Firstly, toward the
eventual enhancement of horticultural crops with bio-functional compounds, the natural
genetic variation in antioxidants found in different species and cultivars/genotypes is
underlined. Notably, some landraces and/or traditional cultivars have been characterized
by substantially higher phytochemical content, i.e., small tomato of Santorini island (cv.
“Tomataki Santorinis”) possesses appreciably high amounts of ascorbic acid (AsA). The
systematic screening of key bioactive compounds in a wide range of germplasm for
the identification of promising genotypes and the restoration of key gene fractions from
wild species and landraces may help in reducing the loss of agro-biodiversity, creating a
healthier “gene pool” as the basis of future adaptation. Toward this direction, large scale
comparative studies in different cultivars/genotypes of a given species provide useful
insights about the ones of higher nutritional value. Secondly, the advancements in the
employment of analytical techniques to determine the antioxidant potential through a
convenient, easy and fast way are outlined. Such analytical techniques include electron
paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, electrochemical, and
chemometric methods, flow injection analysis (FIA), optical sensors, and high resolution
screening (HRS). Taking into consideration that fruits and vegetables are complex
mixtures of water- and lipid-soluble antioxidants, the exploitation of chemometrics
to develop “omics” platforms (i.e., metabolomics, foodomics) is a promising tool for
researchers to decode and/or predict antioxidant activity of fresh produce. For industry,
the use of optical sensors and IR spectroscopy is recommended to estimate the
antioxidant activity rapidly and at low cost, although legislation does not allow its
correlation with health claims.
bioactive compounds of high nutraceutical value for humans, including polyphenols,
carotenoids and vitamins. The aim of the current review was dual. Firstly, toward the
eventual enhancement of horticultural crops with bio-functional compounds, the natural
genetic variation in antioxidants found in different species and cultivars/genotypes is
underlined. Notably, some landraces and/or traditional cultivars have been characterized
by substantially higher phytochemical content, i.e., small tomato of Santorini island (cv.
“Tomataki Santorinis”) possesses appreciably high amounts of ascorbic acid (AsA). The
systematic screening of key bioactive compounds in a wide range of germplasm for
the identification of promising genotypes and the restoration of key gene fractions from
wild species and landraces may help in reducing the loss of agro-biodiversity, creating a
healthier “gene pool” as the basis of future adaptation. Toward this direction, large scale
comparative studies in different cultivars/genotypes of a given species provide useful
insights about the ones of higher nutritional value. Secondly, the advancements in the
employment of analytical techniques to determine the antioxidant potential through a
convenient, easy and fast way are outlined. Such analytical techniques include electron
paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy, electrochemical, and
chemometric methods, flow injection analysis (FIA), optical sensors, and high resolution
screening (HRS). Taking into consideration that fruits and vegetables are complex
mixtures of water- and lipid-soluble antioxidants, the exploitation of chemometrics
to develop “omics” platforms (i.e., metabolomics, foodomics) is a promising tool for
researchers to decode and/or predict antioxidant activity of fresh produce. For industry,
the use of optical sensors and IR spectroscopy is recommended to estimate the
antioxidant activity rapidly and at low cost, although legislation does not allow its
correlation with health claims.
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