The forgotten fruit (Cydonia oblonga Mill.) and its chemical composition: a review.

Natural plant sources, particularly the fruits of several lesser-known species, are receiving increasing amounts of attention because they contain a variety of bioactive compounds that are advantageous to human health. The production of easy-to-grow, already-used, and full of nutrients crops could be a solution to the growing problem of a lack of healthful food. One such fruit is the quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.), which belongs to the Rosaceae family that originated in the Caucasian area and extends to other parts of the world. Quince has been studied for decades because of its unique importance in food and medicine. The characteristic pear-shaped fruit is golden yellow in appearance and has an aromatic, and acidic flavour. The low-fat fruit is rich in numerous necessary nutrients, minerals, dietary fibre, and antioxidants that have significant positive effects on health, but due to its bitterness, it is underutilized. Quince can be utilised as a raw material to create a variety of food products and is a good source of natural phenolic antioxidants, providing significant functional characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]