This specially curated collection features three reviews of current and key research on nutraceuticals in fruit and vegetables.

The first chapter provides a brief description of the chemistry of bioactive compounds (BCs) and their presence in temperate fruits, and discusses recent advances in strategies towards improving sustainable crop production for nutraceuticals. It examines polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamin C and production practices that influence bioactive compound synthesis.

The second chapter describes the claimed health benefits associated with the antioxidant properties of bioactive compounds found in mangoes, such as vitamin C, phenolics and carotenoids. The chapter also examines specific cell, animal and clinical studies that suggest mango pulp, juice and extract are effective against metabolic diseases and certain forms of cancer.

The final chapter considers how developments such as genetic dissection using fruit ripening mutants, new transgenic plants, and molecular breeding have opened a road map for scientists to further unravel the intricacies and regulation of genes governing fruit quality attributes. Improvements in precision in engineering plant genomes have enabled development of novel tomatoes with marketable traits such as higher carotenoid and anthocyanin content, both beneficial for human health.

Dr. Federica Blando has a permanent position as a researcher at the Institute of Sciences of Food Production ISPA in Lecce (Apulia) / South of Italy. The ISPA institute is engaged in the research, innovation and technology transfer to improve the quality and safety of food products. Federica Blando received her Ph.D. degree at the University of Pisa studying in vitro regeneration and propagation of fruit tree crops. After a post-doc scholarship at the Fruit Tree Experimental Institute in Rome, she started researching in Lecce. She has spent short/long periods for research stages in several countries (Australia, Finland, Canada, and UK). Currently, at ISPA, her scientific activity is focused on the characterization of polyphenolic compounds (particularly anthocyanin) and antioxidant activity from red fruits (cherry, strawberry, grape, etc...), as well as other F&Veg, and processed products (ex. tomato products, wine, etc...).

Chapter 1 - Bioactive/nutraceutical compounds in fruit that optimize human health benefits: Federica Blando and Miriana Durante, Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA), Italy; and B. Dave Oomah, formerly Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre, Canada;