A new report says a number of "secondary compounds" found in plants could help reduce chronic or degenerative diseases in humans. But scientists need better tools to develop these components to enhance human health.

Plants make more than 100,000 compounds not essential to plant growth. A number of these secondary compounds may play a role in reducing chronic or degenerative diseases in people, according to USDA's Agricultural Research Service.

More than half of U.S. consumers eat a food or food component for a specific health benefit. But before plant scientists "beef up" fruits and vegetables with phytonutrients, they need to know which compounds are most beneficial and whether they work alone or synergistically, as evidence often suggests they do.

To give plant scientists definitive answers, nutrition and health scientists need better tools to measure phytonutrients' efficacy in reducing disease risk, says ARS. One immediate nutrition enhancement would be to use current technology to retard softening of fruits so they can be harvested and marketed at a more mature stage when phytonutrient levels peak.

Scientists already are analyzing lines of broccoli and other produce for natural differences in phytonutrient levels.

The proceedings of a 1998 workshop of plant and nutrition scientists, food technologists and immunologists, titled "Forum and Workshop on Food, Phytonutrients and Health" can be ordered for $35 from Allen Press at (800) 627-0629 or on the Internet at www.allenpress.com.