Review on Bioactive and Antioxidant Potential of Coloured Fruits and Vegetables

Abstract

The colour of fruits and vegetables represent a lot about their nutritional value. These nutritional values are due to presence of bioactive substances like vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. Among natural dietary supplements, fruits and vegetables, in spite of low in calorific value, play very important role in human diet as a major source of biologically active compounds. Now a days, fruits and vegetables are gaining popularity and new ways of using as nutraceutical, antioxidants and medicines for treating diabetes, atherosclerosis, mastitis, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, foot and mouth disease, gastric disorders, night blindness, skin allergies, hypersensitivity reaction, food poisoning, retention of placenta etc. The medicinal benefits are suitable for both the human as well as animals, being cost economic without side effect. The North Eastern Terai region of Uttar Pradesh harbors green lush vegetation having coloured fruits and vegetables. Till date 25 fruits and 21 vegetables plants are reported, which have enormous biological power and potential of nutraceutically active biomolecules. Therefore, the present study has undertaken to ascertain the possibilities of nutraceutical potential of coloured fruits and vegetables. Keywords; Nutraceuticals, Antioxidants, Phytochemicals, Bioactive molecule.