DIFFERENT PATHS FOR THE FRESH-MARKET AND THE NUTRACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Recognizing the phytochemical richness of fruits and vegetables and their impact on health and nutrition, the “Produce for Better Health Foundation” launched its “5-a-day” campaign to encourage produce consumption.
Despite their efforts, the average American is still not consuming the recommended daily serving suggested by the USDA’s food pyramid.
Furthermore, convenience being a prime factor in produce selection, consumers often lean toward the most convenient form, as in the case of fried potatoes, the most widely consumed vegetable in the US. In the quest to complement dietary requirements, industry leaders in the nutraceutical sector have taken innovative steps to provide consumers with products that summarize convenience and nutritional value.
Experimentation with factors that regulate the level of phytochemicals in plants during production and postharvest handling can result in enhanced nutraceutical value.
Cultivar selection is a critical step in phytochemical enhancement; many current commercial breeding programs emphasize sensory goals and fewer target phytochemical enrichment.
Cultural practices can also respond to different goals, whether related to yield or phytochemical yield.
Planting density, fertilization, mulching, etc. have all been exploited as techniques to increase phytochemical levels.
Furthermore, while prevention of damage by herbivores is critical to yield and sensory quality, the stress of injury elicits the production of plant defense elements, many of which have nutraceutical properties.
The development of maturity indices and postharvest technologies typically focus on sensory attributes rather than on the impact on phytochemical production.
As the functionality of phytochemicals in the body is better understood, a novel approach consists of assessing the impact of cultural or postharvest technologies on bioactivity.
Such approaches are advantageous as they more closely relate to the way in which phytochemicals act in the body and means to affect their performance.

V International Postharvest Symposium

E. Brovelli

phytochemical, medicinal, postharvest, maturity indices, bioactivity

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2005.682.111