Secondary plant substances

Description

This section deals with secondary plant substances. In contrast to the primary plant substances, which mainly consist of fats, proteins and carbohydrates and have a nutritional function for humans, secondary plant substances (known as "phytochemicals" or "phytoprotectants") are not essential for our diet. For this reason, these substances were long regarded as non-functional degradation products of plant metabolism or classified as natural toxins. It is now known that they also perform important tasks in plants and have extensive health potential in humans. This is why they are often referred to as the "vitamins of the 21st century". This section summarizes the scientific data.

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Learning objectives

After you have completed this topic...

• do you know the term "vitamins of the 21st century"?
• are familiar with the different groups of phytochemicals, know their classification and most important representatives
• know the mode of action of the various phytochemicals and the studies on their respective effects