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In the strictest sense, phytochemicals are defined by plant scientists as chemicals produced by plants. However, confusingly the term is generally used by both human nutrition and plant science to describe chemicals from plants that may affect human health and well-being, but are not essential nutrients, e.g. caffeine. To prevent confusion a more appropriate term to point to this group of phytochemicals is the usage of “non-essential” or “non-nutrient” phytochemicals. As there are no known effects or symptoms as a consequence of their deficiency, also no target levels have been determined for intake². It is recommended to daily consume five to eight portions (400–600 g) of fruits and vegetables, in order to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, poor cognitive performance, and other diet-related diseases, as well as for the prevention of micronutrient deficiencies (WHO). Much of this potential of fruits and vegetables in disease prevention is thought to be provided by their complex mixture of phytochemicals, among which the preventive activity of antioxidants is most well documented (Rodriguez-Casado 2016; van Breda and de Kok 2018). Therefore, the use of supplements or fortification with only one phytochemical will probably not be effective to improve health. There is a consensus that whole fruit and vegetable intake is more important in providing health benefits than that of only one of their constituents, because of additive and synergistic effects (Rodriguez-Casado 2016). More than 200.000 phytochemicals have currently been identified (Chapter 3). An overview of several classes of phytochemicals is shown in Table 2.3.

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	Table 2.3
	Table 2.3

Category	Chemical class	Chemical subclass	Example	Plant-based food sources (examples)
Carbohydrates	Polysaccharides (dietary fiber)	Non-starch polysaccharides	Cellulose	Whole grains, almost all plants Pears, apples, citrus fruits
Carbohydrates	Polysaccharides (dietary fiber)	Non-starch polysaccharides	Pectins
Steroids	Phytosterols	Sterols	Campesterol	Whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, pulses, banana, apples, cruciferous vegetables, asparagus, onions
			β-sitosterol
			Stigmastrerol
		Stanols
Organic acids	Short-chain organic acids	Aldonic acids	Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)	Pepper, kiwi, cruciferous vegetables, berries, citrus fruits, tomato
		Aldaric acids	Tartaric acid	Grapes, cranberries
	Sulfur compounds	Thiosulfinates	Allicin	Garlic, leek, onion, chives
			Diallyl sulfide
Nitrogen containing compounds	Amines	Benzylamines	Capsaicin	Chili peppers
		Tryptamines	Psilocybin	Mushrooms
	Cyanogenic glycosides		Amygdalin	Seeds of apricot, apple, peach and plum
	Glucosinulates	Aliphatic glucosinulates	Sulforaphane	Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower
			Sinigrin
			Benzyl isothiocyanate
			Allyl iosthiocyanate
			Phenethyl isothiocyanate
		Aromatic glucosinulates	Glucobrassicin	Cabbage, broccoli, mustards, woad
	Purines	Xanthines	Caffeine	Coffee bean
	Other nitrogen compounds	Indole alcohols	Indole-3 carbinol	Broccoli
	Other nitrogen compounds
Alkaloids	Pyridine alkaloids		Trigoneline	Potatoes, oats, peas, arabic coffee
Alkaloids	Betalain alkaloids	Betacyanins	Betanin	Red beet
		Betaxanthins	Indicaxanthin	Beets, red dragonfruit
Phenolics	Flavonoids	Anthocyanins	Cyanidin	Apple, berries, peach, red grape, carrot, red cabbage, red onion, red grapes
			Delphinidin
			Malvidin
		Flavanols	Catechin	Apple, berries, red-purple grape, apricot, peach, green bean
			Epicatechin	Green tea
			Proanthocyanidins	Green tea
			Epicatechin gallate (ECG)
			Epigallocatechin-3-gallate
		Flavonols	Quercetin	Apple, apricot, berries, citrus fruits, cruciferous vegetables,
			Kaempferol	onions, sweet potato, tomato, cherry
			Myricitin
		Flavones	Apigenin	Carrot, celery, parsley
		Isoflavonoids	Genistein	Legumes, soy-bean, currants, alfalfa sprouts
		Flavonones	Naringenin	Grapefruit, oranges, tomato
		Dihydrochalcones	Phloretin	Apples, apricot
	Phenolic acids	Hydroxybenzoic acids	Gallic acid	Blackberry, cherry, mango, red/purple grapes, pomegranate
			Ellagic acid	Berries, pomegranate
		Hydroxycinnamic acids	Ferulic acid	Apple, blackberry, blueberry, grapefruit, Brussels sprouts,
			Chlorogenic acid	corn, tomato, cabbage, pepper
			Caffeic acid
			Para-Coumaric acid
		Salicylates		Tomato, radish, pepper, broccoli, grapes, cherries, apples
	Lignans		Pinoresinol	Banana, cranberry, orange, peach, broccoli, cabbage, carrot,
				tomato, onion, potato, pumpkin
	Coumarins		Coumarin	Tonka bean, vanilla grass, mullein, sweet woodruff
		Coumestans	Coumestrol	Lima beans, alfalfa sprouts, soy beans
		Furanocoumarins	Psoralen	Celery, parsley
		Benzodioxoles	Apiole	Celery, parsley
		Curcuminoids	Curcumin	Turmeric
		Hydroxyphenyl-propenes	Eugenol	Basil, cinnamon, nutmeg
	Stilbenoids		Resveratrol	Red grapes, berries, plums, peanuts
			Pterostilbene	Blueberries
			Piceatannol	Grapes
Terpenoids	Mono-terpenoids		Limonene	Grapefruit, lemon, orange, tangerine, carrot, celery
	Triterpenoids	Phenolic terpenes	Vitamin E	Spinach, nuts, avocado
		Saponins	Ursolic acid	Rosemary, basil
		Phytosterols	Campesterol	Banana, pomegranate, pepper, grapefruit, onion
	Tetrapenoids	Carotenoids	α- carotene	Carrot, pumpkin, sweet potato, tomato, apricot, mango,
			β-carotene	cabbage, winter squash, cruciferous vegetables, spinach,
			Lycopene	peach, red/pink grapefruit
			Lutein
			β-cryptoxanthin
			Zeaxanthin

Table 2.3: Chemical classification of the main phytochemicals and their main plant based food (Table copied from: van Breda and de Kok 2018)

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Versie	Oude versie 9	Nieuwe versie 10
Veranderingen gemaakt door	Former user	Noor Hartog, den
Opgeslagen op	mrt. 06, 2019	sep. 05, 2022

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