Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40320168›Full record

ReviewJournal of advanced research2026

Regulation of apocarotenoids for quality improvement and biofortification of horticultural crops.

Lihong Liu, Yuening Li, Chunxia Jian, Rongfang Guo, Qiaomei Wang

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of advanced research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Evolutionary adaptation of CCD4 enzymes inFrontiers in plant science · 2026
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Lihong LiuKey Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China.
Yuening LiKey Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China.
Chunxia JianKey Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China.
Rongfang GuoJoint FAFU-Dalhousie Lab, College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, PR China; Institute of Horticultural Biotechnology, College of Horticulture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, PR China; Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Genetics, Breeding and Multiple Utilization of Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, PR China. Electronic address: guorofa@163.com.
Qiaomei WangKey Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Growth, Development and Quality Improvement, Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Horticulture, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, PR China. Electronic address: qmwang@zju.edu.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAgro-food production and consumption impact climate change and human health. Bioactive secondary metabolites in horticulture crops make them an indispensable part of environmentally sustainable and healthy diet. Among them, apocarotenoids from carotenoid degradation are promising in promoting a preference for plant-based foods over other metabolites. AIM OF REVIEW: In horticulture crops, carotenoids are vital for photosynthesis and antioxidant defense, but their enzymatic or oxidative metabolites, apocarotenoids, offer greater structural diversity and biological functions. They serve as pigments, scents, signaling molecules, and growth regulators in crop growth and development and provide antioxidant, nutraceutical, and pharmaceutical benefits to human health. The carotenoids as bioactive compounds are well understood. By contrast, much less is explored and reviewed about apocarotenoids. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW: Recently identified metabolic pathways and components of apocarotenoids are reviewed. Their significance for quality formation in horticulture crops, including the regulation of pigmentation, aroma, flavor, architecture, nutrition value, and broader ecological interactions is discussed. Additionally, this review specifically highlights two representative apocarotenoids, retinal and abscisic acid (ABA), that exhibit conserved yet distinct regulatory functions across plant and animal kingdoms. Comprehensive dissection of apocarotenoid metabolism and their regulatory mechanisms will enhance apocarotenoid biofortification and subsequent biotechnological exploitation in horticultural commodities. We put forward the perspective that apocarotenoids could enhance horticultural crop quality and then promote sensory- and health-driven dietary choices which will in turn increase consumption and production of horticultural plants and promote both human and ecosystem health.

Indexed as

BiofortificationCarotenoidsCrops, AgriculturalAbscisic AcidAnimalsAntioxidantsHumansAbscisic AcidAntioxidantsCarotenoidsArchitectureFlavorIononeNutritional valuePigmentation

Identifiers

PMID40320168
PMCPMC12869223

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.