Hu Huimin, Pradhan Nirakar, Xiao Jianbo, Xia Rui, Liao Pan
State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, College of Horticulture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Guangdong Laboratory for Lingnan Modern Agriculture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, China.
Mol Hortic. 2025 Apr 2;5(1):19. doi: 10.1186/s43897-024-00142-y.
Fleshy fruits are popular among consumers due to their significant nutritional value, which includes essential bioactive compounds such as pigments, vitamins, and minerals. Notably, plant-derived pigments are generally considered safe and reliable, helping to protect humans against various inflammatory diseases. Although the phytochemical diversity and their biological activities have been extensively reviewed and summarized, the status of bioactive nutrients in fleshy fruits, particularly with a focusing on different colors, has received less attention. Therefore, this review introduces five common types of fleshy fruits based on coloration and summarizes their major bioactive compounds. It also provides the latest advancements on the function, biosynthesis, and metabolic engineering of plant-derived pigments. In this review, we emphasize that promoting the consumption of a diverse array of colorful fruits can contribute to a balanced diet; however, optimal intake levels still require further clinical validation. This review may serve as a useful guide for decisions that enhance the understanding of natural pigments and accelerate their application in agriculture and medicine.
肉质果实因其显著的营养价值而深受消费者喜爱，其营养价值包括色素、维生素和矿物质等必需的生物活性化合物。值得注意的是，植物源色素通常被认为是安全可靠的，有助于保护人类免受各种炎症性疾病的侵害。尽管植物化学物质的多样性及其生物活性已得到广泛综述和总结，但肉质果实中生物活性营养素的状况，尤其是不同颜色果实的生物活性营养素状况，受到的关注较少。因此，本综述基于颜色介绍了五种常见类型的肉质果实，并总结了它们的主要生物活性化合物。它还提供了植物源色素在功能、生物合成和代谢工程方面的最新进展。在本综述中，我们强调促进食用多种颜色的果实有助于实现均衡饮食；然而，最佳摄入量仍需进一步的临床验证。本综述可为增进对天然色素的理解并加速其在农业和医学中的应用的决策提供有用的指导。
