Vitamins
Date Issued
2019
DOI
10.1016/B978-0-12-813278-4.00017-8
Abstract
Fruits and vegetables are the main source of health promoting phytonutrients, including vitamins, dietary fibers and phytochemicals. Vitamins are key bioactive compounds with strong antioxidant potential including both water-soluble (vitamins B and C) and lipid-soluble (vitamins A, E and K) compounds, and are thought to limit the risk of several chronic diseases such as cancers and cardio-vascular diseases. This chapter review recent advances in the understanding of the multiple roles of vitamins, as well as their major genetic regulatory pathways within plant kingdom. Further, it discusses vitamin occurrence and diversity in different plant tissues, organelles, and horticultural species, as well as throughout fruit development and at postharvest.