Exploring the Nutritional and Medicinal Significance of Underutilized Fruits: A Review

Abstract— Underutilized fruit crops encompass plant species traditionally utilized for various purposes such as food, fodder, fiber, oil, and their extensive medicinal attributes. Despite their multifaceted potential in ensuring food security, nutrition, health, income generation, and ecological benefits, these species remain underexplored. While commercially cultivated fruits like Mango, Banana, Papaya, Litchi, Guava, among others, dominate the market, wild edible fruits remain largely uncultivated and undomesticated. Many of these underutilized indigenous fruit crops serve as integral components of traditional medicine systems across India. Their value-added products present an opportunity for focused efforts to tap into both domestic and international markets. This overview primarily centers on elucidating the food, nutritional, and medicinal significance of these minor fruits. In India, prevalent underutilized fruits include Bael (Aegle marmelos), Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Karonda (Carissa carandas), Ber (Ziziphus mauritiana), Lasora (Cordia myxa L), Phalsa (Grewia subinaequalis), among others. Hence, this review paper primarily emphasizes the nutritional, therapeutic, and various other values associated with these diverse fruit crops.