Plants are one of the oldest human companions in the universe, which are often divided into edible and inedible varieties. Plants are a kind of easily accessible resource, indicating both regional characteristics and environmental dependence. So far, people living in different areas have utilized and consumed distinct sources of plants containing specific bioactive components. However, a large number of plant resources and their processing by-products are casually post-treated and thrown away as waste. These plant discards will lead to serious environment pollution, which is not eco-friendly. If plants could be further explored or transformed to items with functional factors, they will possess significant health benefits with much higher economic value.

The comprehensive application of plants and their processing by-products is currently limited. Bioactive compounds in different plants have yet to be fully and specifically characterized. Likewise, the acquisition pathway of the functional components from plants needs to be further studied, as does the in vitro and in vivo bioactivity and function of the plant extracts. The stability and degradation of the plant components during extraction, processing and storage process also requires further evaluation.

The goal of this Research Topic is to collect contributions on topics which will improve the utilization and application of plants and their processing by-products to improve human health.
Sub-topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
• Innovative technologies for the recovery of phytochemicals from special plants
• Characterization of bioactive compounds derived from different plant resources
• Transformation of botanical components to food-grade products by chemical or biological methods
• Evaluation of the functional properties of the plant extract in vitro and in vivo
• Assessment of digestion, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of typical active components from edible plants

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Frontiers in Nutrition

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