Foods, such as fruits, are rich sources of diverse bioactive components including phytochemicals and other bio-activators. They are found in different parts of foods, for example, peel, seed and pulp and their concentrations may vary according to the location in the foods. Several factors have been identified to influence nutritional components within foods such as seasons, ripening stage, soil texture and environmental conditions. Moreover, the nutritional profiles of different foods varieties may also differ from each other. Polyphenols are a large group of bioactive compounds; their structure may vary and be grouped accordingly. The prevalence of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds within fruits may spotlight their importance and health benefits in cell culture and animal studies. There are several studies showing the potent activities of these bioactive compounds against health disorders, such as digestive, reproductive and cardiovascular diseases, in cellular, animal and human investigations. Consuming these foods has provided health protective effects for a long time.

Bioactive compounds have the potential to regulate antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and protein pathways to mitigate health ailments. Recently, numerous literature has pointed out the positive impact of certain food components in close association with food intake and health status.

This Special Issue will address the emerging need to determine new food components which attract great opportunities for the food/feed and pharmaceutical industries. We welcome original research and review articles on this topic.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Isolation and characterization of nutritional components from food
• Mechanistic approach of bioactive compounds
• New methods to explore the pharmacological activity of bioactive compounds in food
• Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of food components in disease prevention strategies
• Immune system regulation by bioactive compounds
• Anti-microbial effects of bioactive components derived from food, and their interaction with gut microbiome and their health outcomes
• Anti-diabetic and anti-obesity effects of bioactive compounds
• Food components in the regulation of reproductive management
• Food bioactive components and their functionalities in digestive problems