Bioactive Properties and Phenolic Compound Profiles of Vegetables

Dear Colleagues,

Vegetables are grown and consumed for hundreds of years due to their ability to enhance and complement the flavour and aroma in a wide range of foods. They also possess valuable nutritional properties due to their high content in macro- and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals as well as in numerous bioactive compounds. Considering that vegetables are key ingredients in various dietary patterns throughout the world, usually consumed in high amounts, they can play an important role in preventing chronic diseases that plague the modern world, as well as in improving the human well-being. Among the various phytochemicals, phenolic compounds show prominent bioactivities and contribute highly to the overall beneficial health effects of vegetable products. Although they are not classified as nutrients, the regular dietary intake of these secondary metabolites has been associated through scientific evidence with various health protective effects. They are widespread throughout the plant kingdom serving in the defense mechanisms against biotic and abiotic stressors or other plant processes, and they present a wide variation in their chemical structures.

Considering the wide distribution of phenolic compounds in plant tissues and vegetables in particular, the present special issue focuses on revealing the phenolic compounds profile of commonly cultivated or underutilized vegetable crops, including wild edible species with vegetable uses, and further identify the bioactive properties related to the phenolic compounds composition and biosynthesis and reveal the mechanisms of action behind these activities. Moreover, this special issue aims to investigate the effect that pre- and post-harvest factors may have on the phenolic compounds composition of various vegetable crops, as well as the bioavailability of the detected compounds and their possible practical applications for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical purposes and/or in functional food products. This special issues covers multidisciplinary topics, including vegetable crop production and plant physiology, analytical chemistry and biochemistry, food chemistry, food processing, and pharmacology among others. Reviews and research papers are equally welcome.

Dr. Spyridon A. Petropoulos
Guest Editor

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• vegetable products
• phenolic compounds
• polyphenols
• antioxidant activity
• bioactive properties
• extraction methods
• functional foods