The Solanaceae family is considered one of themost important families among plant species
because, on one hand encompassesmany staple food crops of the human dietwhile,
on the other hand, it includes species rich in powerful secondary metabolites that could
be valorized in medicine or drug formulation as well as nutraceuticals and food supplements.
Themain genera are Solanum, Capsicum, Physalis, and Lycium which comprise several
important cultivated crops (e.g., tomato, pepper, eggplant, tomatillo, and goji berry),
as well as genera notable for species with several pharmaceutical properties (e.g., Datura,
Nicotiana, Atropa, Mandragora, etc.). This chapter discusses the nutritional value of the
most important Solanaceae species commonly used for their edible fruit, as well as those
used in the development of functional foods, food supplements, and nutraceuticals due
to their bioactive constituents. The toxic and poisonous effects are also discussed aiming
to highlight possible detrimental consequences due to irrational use. Finally, considering
the high amount of waste and by-products generated through the value chain of the
main crops, the sustainable management practices implemented so far are presented
with the aim to increase the added-value of these crops.
The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for
financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020), the
PhD studentship granted to M. Añibarro-Ortega (2020.06297.BD), and the contracts of
J. Pinela (CEECIND/01011/2018) and L. Barros (institutional scientific employment
program-contract).
