Bioactive Compounds Biosynthesis and Metabolism in Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are considered to be among the most important sources of bioactive
compounds with proven beneficial effect on human diet. Tomato has been evolved as
a model crop to study both fruit ripening pattern as well as for understanding how
different environmental and agricultural factors can enhance the accumulation of bioactive
compounds. The concentration of bioactive compounds is highly dependent on the crop
species, cultivar/genotype, agronomic management, preharvest environmental conditions,
and postharvest management practices (Toscano et al.). Bioactive compounds in fruit
and vegetables are of consumer interest for their potential benefit to the health,
especially in counteracting several diseases related to aging and stress. However,
the bioactive molecules also have preservation properties that extend the shelf life
of the produce. Postharvest technologies and storage conditions can reduce the degradation
of bioactive compounds and some industrial operation can even promote their accumulation.
The systematic screening of key bioactive compounds with high content in a wide range
of germplasm and the restoration of key genes and gene clusters from wild species
and/or landraces both are important for reducing the loss of agro-biodiversity and
the creation of a “gene pool” that can be exploited in future breeding programs toward
the release of new cultivars with added nutraceutical value (Manganaris et al., 2018).
Furthermore, the understanding how the accumulation of bioactive compounds can be
enhanced or preserved is crucial for improvement of crop and product quality (Toscano
et al.). The availability of advanced molecular tools allows fast and accurate transcriptome
profiling that can help in the identification of the main gene clusters that are activated
or repressed under different conditions. Such information coupled with the big data
from metabolomics studies will be useful both for preharvest and postharvest management
of produce with high nutritional value.
Impact of Genotype and Significance of ‘Old-Fashioned’ Cultivars on Bioactive Content
Bioactive compounds show wide variations among different species. Several studies
have reported that ancient or old varieties accumulate higher concentration of bioactive
compounds that have been linked to their adaptation to different environmental conditions
(García-Mier et al., 2013; Manganaris et al., 2018). The accumulation of bioactive
compounds can serve as defenses against biotic and abiotic stresses. Local varieties
of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) grown in Tuscany showed higher polyphenols, flavonoids,
and carotenoids compared with commercial ones (Berni et al.). Similar results have
been reported in onion (Allium cepa L.) and sweet cherry [Prunus avium L., (Berni
et al.)]. In the meantime, breeding projects are targeting toward the release of new
cultivars with enhanced bioactive content, as this is the case for tomatoes (Lenucci
et al., 2006). Recently, interest for the black tomatoes has been attributed to the
high carotenoid and anthocyanin contents. The ‘Sun Black’ tomato, a result of a 20-years
breeding activity, derived from wild tomato species, such as Solanum chilense, Solanum
cheesmaniae, Solanum lycopersicoides, and Solanum habrochaites, through introgression
with cultivated genotypes (Mazzucato et al., 2013). A comparative study showed that
the anthocyanins-enriched ‘Sun Black’ tomato had an almost double concentration of
phenolics and carotenoids at the ripe stage compared to the wild type. Color is often
an indicator of the composition and concentration of the bioactive compounds. In tomatoes
and watermelon, the red color is due to the accumulation of lycopene while the yellow
color due to β-carotene. The concentration of these two carotenoids can induce different
flesh and skin colors (Ilahy et al.). These compounds are also substrates for volatile
biosynthesis, contributing to fruit aroma with direct effect on produce quality (Ilahy
et al.).
Environmental Conditions Affect the Accumulation of Bioactive Compounds
Environmental conditions can positively or negatively affect the concentration of
bioactive molecules in different horticultural produce. Tomato fruits obtained from
plants exposed to high salinity conditions (60 or 120 mM NaCl) showed a reduction
of antioxidant capacity and several secondary metabolites such as lycopene and phenols
(Moles et al.).
Environmental conditions including altitude, temperature, and light can influence
bioactive compound accumulation. A study carried out on blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum
L.) grown in different altitudes, was shown that lower altitudes induced an early
ripening and a higher anthocyanin accumulation (Spinardi et al.).
Light quality can induce the biosynthesis of different secondary metabolites that
can have protective functions against biotic and abiotic stresses. Plants exposed
to UV-B treatments have increased phenolic compounds in a dose-response manner. In
a study performed in peaches (Prunus persica L.), UV-B treatments applied for 1 or
3 h enhanced several phenolic compounds. The employment of UV-B was also studied as
priming for preventing the development of Monilinia fructicola fungus (Santin et al.).
Treatments applied for different durations indicated that 1 and 3 h of UV-B treatments
increased the phenolics in the fruit except near the inoculation point, while around
the inoculation point the effect of UV-B treatments were not always consistent depending
also on the effects of fungus, the wounding and their interaction (Santin et al.).
Hormonal Regulation of Bioactive Compounds
There are plant hormones that have bioactive molecules as precursors such as abscisic
acid (ABA), auxin, salicylic acid (SA), and melatonin. ABA biosynthesis is derived
from the catabolism of carotenoids, while the auxins, SA, and melatonin are synthetized
from the chorismite as their precursor. The connecting molecules may explain the cross-talks
among them and their roles in the modulation of the growth and the ripening process
of both climacteric and non-climacteric fruits (Pérez-Llorca et al.).
The protection of plant cells from external environments and biotic or abiotic stresses
is partly provided by the cell wall and, in several species, by the cuticular waxes.
The major components of cuticular wax are very long chain fatty acids and derived
compounds (Trivedi et al.). However, the concentration and composition of these molecules
in the cuticular waxes varies among species and within cultivars of the same species.
Tomato mutants such as NON-RIPENING (nor) and RIPENING INHIBITOR (rin) have different
cuticular waxes (Kosma et al., 2010). These findings suggest that ethylene plays a
role in the wax biosynthesis and accumulation. This hypothesis has been confirmed
in the apple and orange. At molecular level, it has been shown that many transcription
factors are involved in the regulation of wax biosynthesis such as FRUITFULL and TOMATO
AGAMOUS-LIKE1 (Trivedi et al.). In particular, the MADS-RIN transcription factor TDR4/FUL1
and its homolog MBP7/FUL2 have high similarity with FRUITFULL of Arabidopsis. This
TDR4 transcription factor has been reported to be involved in pigment biosynthesis
in tomato fruit. A functional analysis of this gene using virus-induced gene silencing
technology (VIGS) demonstrated that the TDR4 gene is effectively involved in the biosynthesis
of bioactive molecules. In fact, TDR4-silenced tomatoes showed a strong reduction
of amino acids and α-tomatine (Zhao et al.).
The collection of articles in this Research Topic demonstrates that the accumulation
of bioactive compounds in produce can derive from different environmental, genetic,
and agronomic factors.
Author Contributions
All authors planned the structure of the editorial, contributed in its writing, read
and approved the submitted version.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial
or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.