Abstract

Over the past few decades there was a surge in the production and productivity of food grains particularly those belonging to cereals, millets and pulses. However, the trend is not similar for fresh fruits and vegetable which are important source of vitamins, mineral and other bioactive as well as other nutraceutical phytochemicals. Though, in general, the agricultural systems are moving towards attaining food security, the nutritional adequacy among different populations, communities and demographic groups remains a matter of concern, particularly among women and children. One of the approaches would be to identify the areas where there is probability of nutritional deficiency, characterize or quantify the extent of its prevalence and suggest remedial measure that also includes nutrition education. Another possible approach is to identify the nutritional diversity among different food sources and improvise the processing methods for complete utilization of the nutritional resources from diverse food sources in the form of food supplements and food fortifications. Identification of bioactive components having therapeutic effects on nutritional disorders and associated chronic diseases also aid in bestowing improvement in quality of life. The current issue of Journal of Nutrition Science Research is focused on these approaches and comprises of original research articles on child malnutrition in Nigerian orphanages; nutritional profiling of underutilized jack fruit as well as an alternate therapeutic approach for reducing the burden of cardiovascular diseases.