Skip main navigation

New offer! Get 30% off one whole year of Unlimited learning. Subscribe for just £249.99 £174.99. New subscribers only. T&Cs apply

Find out more

Introduction to phytochemicals

What are phytochemicals and how do they influence the foods we eat? This article explains the characteristics that phytochemicals are responsible for.
Phytochemicals are non-nutrient compounds found in plant-derived foods which have biological activity in the body.

Phyto means ‘plant’.

Phytochemicals are responsible for many well-known characteristics of food, such as taste, aroma and colour. For example, phytochemicals are responsible for the:

  • Burning sensation of hot peppers
  • Pungent flavour of garlic
  • Dark red colour of tomatoes, capsicum, watermelon and berries

A selection of vibrant red coloured vegetables due to dominant phytochemicals - tomatoes; onion; carrot; radish; pepper; beets.

Foods containing phytochemicals

Did you know that foods contain an enormous range of phytochemicals – and there is still much more to discover!

Plant foods contain thousands of naturally occurring phytochemicals and it seems likely that each plant food contains an array of different phytochemicals. For example, broccoli may contain up to 10,000 phytochemicals.

For some years now, researchers have been working on the wide variety of phytochemicals in food and the possible role they may play in supporting health and well-being. Researchers have only scratched the surface and it is clear that there is much more to learn.

The table below displays a range of foods that contain various types of phytochemicals.

Colour Phytochemicals Foods
Red Anthocyanins, lycopene Beets, cherries, cranberries, radishes, strawberries, tomatoes, watermelon
White-brown Allicin, allyl sulfides Bananas, cauliflower, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, onions, parsnips
Orange-yellow Beta-carotene, limonene Apricots, carrots, lemons, mangoes, oranges, papayas, pineapple, pumpkin
Blue-purple Anthocyanins, ellagic acid, phenolics Blackcurrants, blueberries, eggplant, plums, purple figs, raisins, purple grapes
Green Beta-carotene, lutein, indoles Artichokes, avocados, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, limes, okra, peas, spinach
Are phytochemicals a topic you have encountered before? You might recognise some of the names of the phytochemicals, for example – beta-carotene! Reflect on why understanding what phytochemicals are in different foods is important to health.

This article is from the free online

A Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating

Created by
FutureLearn - Learning For Life

Reach your personal and professional goals

Unlock access to hundreds of expert online courses and degrees from top universities and educators to gain accredited qualifications and professional CV-building certificates.

Join over 18 million learners to launch, switch or build upon your career, all at your own pace, across a wide range of topic areas.

Start Learning now