The importance of compounds synthesized by plant secondary metabolism lies in their ability to protect plant cells from biotic and abiotic stress and to provide beneficial effects to human health. Despite the numerous efforts to raise public awareness about the advantages of eating a healthy diet, the overall fruit and vegetable consumption is still often below the recommended amounts. Nowadays great attention is addressed to the possibility to increase the concentration of bio-protective molecules contained in fruits and vegetables by the mean of eco-friendly techniques. The variation of light parameters along both the plant growth and produce conservation period, appears quite promising because of the importance of light on a variety of biosynthetic pathways. This review is focused on the stimulating role played by UV-B radiation on phenolic metabolism and on its possible use to improve the nutraceutical properties of fruits and vegetables.
Keywords: flavonoids, phenolics, nutraceuticals, quality, tomato