Nutritional Composition, Bioactive Compounds, and Health-Promoting Potential of Underutilized and Climate-Resilient Fruits

Underutilized and climate-resilient fruit species represent an underexplored reservoir of nutritional and functional value, offering promising alternatives to conventional crops amid mounting pressure on global food systems from climate change, biodiversity loss, and rising demand for sustainable diets. Despite their potential to diversify diets, strengthen food security, and support smallholder economies, many of these species remain poorly characterized in terms of their nutritional composition, bioactive profile, and health-promoting properties. This Research Topic aims to advance scientific understanding of underutilized and climate-resilient fruits by bringing together research spanning compositional analysis, bioactivity assessment, postharvest technology, and genetic resource management. We welcome contributions that combine fundamental characterization with applied approaches supporting the sustainable use and valorization of these fruit resources. Themes of interest include, but are not limited to: - Nutritional profiling and compositional analysis of underutilized fruits (macronutrients, micronutrients, and phytochemical content) - Bioactive compounds, antioxidant capacity, and functional properties - Health-promoting potential and applications in nutraceuticals and functional foods - Postharvest quality, storage stability, processing, and value-addition strategies - Omics, metabolomics, and advanced analytical approaches for compound identification and characterization - Conservation, domestication, and sustainable utilization of underutilized fruit genetic resources By consolidating current knowledge and highlighting emerging analytical and technological approaches, this Research Topic seeks to position underutilized and climate-resilient fruits as viable contributors to nutrition security, dietary diversification, and sustainable food systems. Topic editors: Daya Mishra, Kanupriya Chaturvedi, Dr Vikas Yadav Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84762/nutritional-composition-bioactive-compounds-and-health-promoting-potential-of-underutilized-and-climate-resilient-fruits