Flavonols and anthocyanins are plant secondary metabolites with an increasing interest due to their beneficial effects on human health. They are present in all plants, participating in plant protection against biotic and abiotic stresses. However, only some plant species accumulate them in relevant amounts, as is the case for berries. Among the health benefits reported is prevention of metabolic syndrome, s, including prevention of insulin resistance associated to type 2 diabetes. Therefore, there is a big interest to improve contents on plant foods to benefit health through the diet, as well as to obtain them for functional ingredients for food supplements. In fulfillment of this objective, a deep study about their biosynthetic pathway has been carried out in model plants, where the genome is available. However, not all species that accumulate them in high amounts have their genome sequenced, as is the case for blackberry. Transcriptomic approaches have been undertaken to gain knowledge of its specific biosynthetic pathway and regulatory elements, aiming to improve bioactive contents in the edible parts. Furthermore, determining the regulatory pathways will help to improve yields and in vitro production. For this purpose, a review on elicitors used to trigger this pathway is presented.
Part of the book: Flavonoids