The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has among its objectives to eradicate poverty, end hunger and malnutrition. Certainly, the achievement of this objective involves diet diversification by encouraging the identification and consumption of accessible, nutritious, and bioactive food alternatives. Currently, there is a very limited number of plant species used in human food. On the other hand, there is still an infinity of non-conventional edible plants unknown or underutilized by the general population due to their low popularity, lack of exploitation, and loss of biodiversity and traditional/local knowledge. Non-conventional edible plants include fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, stems, and/or flowers of non-domesticated species that grow spontaneously in the wild. Many of these plants, which come from sustainable food systems, are collected and incorporated into the diet of different communities around the world, mainly in rural areas. More recently, a growing interest in non-conventional edible plants has been observed due to their important role in the human diet. Many of these are rich sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds and are often more resilient than their staple crop counterparts. Their use has varied within a wide spectrum from use as herbal medicines in traditional practices to clinical research; from use in human food for socially vulnerable individuals to haute cuisine dishes.
Therefore, aiming to expand knowledge, add value, and contribute to the increase in consumption of non-conventional edible plants, this Research Topic aims to gather contributions that address the main challenges and issues related to the chemical composition, processing, and health-promoting potential of unconventional edible plants.
Authors are encouraged to contribute original research, review, and perspective articles, including but not limited to:
• Identification, isolation, quantification, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of nutrients, antinutrients, and bioactive or toxic compounds in non-conventional edible plants
• Development and evaluation of the impact of new methods of processing and preserving non-conventional edible plants
• Development of new food products or food ingredients based on non-conventional edible plants
• Nutritional and health implications (e.g., chronic diseases, nutrigenomics, metabolism, microbiome) of non-conventional edible plants and their compounds
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has among its objectives to eradicate poverty, end hunger and malnutrition. Certainly, the achievement of this objective involves diet diversification by encouraging the identification and consumption of accessible, nutritious, and bioactive food alternatives. Currently, there is a very limited number of plant species used in human food. On the other hand, there is still an infinity of non-conventional edible plants unknown or underutilized by the general population due to their low popularity, lack of exploitation, and loss of biodiversity and traditional/local knowledge. Non-conventional edible plants include fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, stems, and/or flowers of non-domesticated species that grow spontaneously in the wild. Many of these plants, which come from sustainable food systems, are collected and incorporated into the diet of different communities around the world, mainly in rural areas. More recently, a growing interest in non-conventional edible plants has been observed due to their important role in the human diet. Many of these are rich sources of nutrients and bioactive compounds and are often more resilient than their staple crop counterparts. Their use has varied within a wide spectrum from use as herbal medicines in traditional practices to clinical research; from use in human food for socially vulnerable individuals to haute cuisine dishes.
Therefore, aiming to expand knowledge, add value, and contribute to the increase in consumption of non-conventional edible plants, this Research Topic aims to gather contributions that address the main challenges and issues related to the chemical composition, processing, and health-promoting potential of unconventional edible plants.
Authors are encouraged to contribute original research, review, and perspective articles, including but not limited to:
• Identification, isolation, quantification, bioaccessibility and bioavailability of nutrients, antinutrients, and bioactive or toxic compounds in non-conventional edible plants
• Development and evaluation of the impact of new methods of processing and preserving non-conventional edible plants
• Development of new food products or food ingredients based on non-conventional edible plants
• Nutritional and health implications (e.g., chronic diseases, nutrigenomics, metabolism, microbiome) of non-conventional edible plants and their compounds
