Chemical Composition of Vegetables and Their Products

Abstract

Vegetables and their products (salads, fermented and nonfermented pickles, prepared sauces, and pickled, conserved, frozen, marinated, and dried vegetables) are a good source of compounds that are involved in pharmacodynamic activity. Humans are inseparably linked to the existence of vegetables, as they are the source of several bioproducts essential for the survival of the animal kingdom. The importance of vegetables from the point of view of the food industry is determined by their complex chemical content that is important to the human body and includes organic substances (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and organic acids), phytoncides and antimicrobial substances, a high content of minerals (Ca, P, Fe, K, Mg, S, Cl, Zn, and Cu), and a high content of vitamins (A, B complex, C, E, F, K, P, and PP). The complex chemicals in vegetables have a favorable effect on the human body because they provide hydration due to their high water content, regulate metabolism in general, stimulate the muscular and skeletal systems, internal glands, and enzymatic activity, and have high nutritional and energy value. Vegetables are characterized by high nutritional density with low energy input and contain a variety of biological phytonutrients that make them an important part of the basic diet. It is recommended that vegetables be consumed fresh when their nutritional value is at its highest; some methods of processing and storage cause some water-soluble vitamins and nutrients to be lost. With energy from the sun, vegetables synthesize the basic compounds necessary for their survival (carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins), and a variety of organic phytochemicals can be extracted as raw materials that have important applications in dermatology, cosmetics, medicine, technology, and commerce.