Dietary phytochemicals: Identification, bioactivities, and delivery strategy

ER SHENG GONG; WEI LIU; NATALIA S. PODIO; LIJUN YOU; LIN ZHOU

Frontiers in Nutrition

Año: 2023 p. 401

978-2-8325-3005-4

Phytochemicals are bioactive compounds in grains, vegetables, fruits, and other plant foods, which have been proposed to account for reducing the risk of some chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and cancers. Phytochemicals include phenolics, carotenoids, alkaloids, organosulfur compounds, and nitrogen-containing compounds. More than 5000 phytochemicals were identified in plants, but a large part is still unknown. The benefits of phytochemicals are attributed to their bioactivities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral activities, etc. Increasing convincing evidence reveals that the health benefits of phytochemicals are currently underestimated, and need to be unraveled by more studies. Most phytochemicals have poor stability, solubility, and bioavailability, thus limiting their application in supplements, foods, and pharmaceuticals. There is a growing need to develop a novel delivery system to protect, encapsulate, and control the release of phytochemicals.This Research Topic aims to understand the research advances of profiles, bioactivities, and delivery strategy of dietary phytochemicals in different plant food products, thus contributing to the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.