Omics in fruit nutrition: Concepts and application

Abstract Fruit is a key component of a healthy diet providing vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and phytochemicals. The nutrients in fruits and vegetables have been associated with good health and as a guard against chronic diseases. Fruit crops are often the target of pathogens and pests leading to plant stress and diminished yields. Suboptimal growing conditions may also affect the nutritional value of the crop. Omics can help develop fruit crops that have enhanced nutritional value and more resistance to abiotic and biotic stress. These attributes are key to helping populations struggling with nutritional intake and the growing segment of consumers looking at food as more than just an energy source. Health-conscious consumers are driving changes in the food industry on a global scale. People are taking a more holistic approach to their health and well-being, which includes food choices. Many people already use food to assist with a specific health condition. There is now a growing interest to further exploit the health benefits of food through plant manipulations to increase nutrient content, change nutrient profiles, or introduce new traits. These functional foods can be created through conventional crop breeding or biotechnology. Functional foods may eventually be able to prevent or mitigate disease progression and reduce reliance on pharmaceuticals through the increased dietary ingestion of nutraceuticals. Food science is addressing these consumer demands through advances in biotechnology and omic techniques. The integrated application of omics to food science has led to the discipline foodomics—the study of food and nutrition on a molecular level.