Introduction to minor fruits

Minor fruits are often recognized as “poor man’s crops” and include neglected, underutilized, and rare fruits that are useful for health and curing many diseases. Minor fruits are rich sources of nutritional, medicinal, and antioxidant compounds. The minor fruits show wide geographical distribution, are easier to grow in poor fertile soil, and withstand extreme weather conditions. To overcome nutritional security and diet-related diseases, the consumption of minor fruits in the diet can mitigate these issues and ensure nutritional balance among end-use consumers. The chapter highlights the different minor fruits and their nutritional, bioactive potential, general characteristics, and opportunities for their use in various functional food products. The chapter also provides an overview of the postharvest techniques used for minor fruits for the development of value-added products and their utilization in combating malnutrition and ensuring nutritional security.