Various environmental, food security and population health problems have been correlated with the use of intensive agriculture production systems around the world. This type of system leads to the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats, high usage rates of agrochemicals and natural resources, and affects soil composition, human health, and nutritional plant quality in rural areas. Agroecological intercropping systems that respect agrobiodiversity, on the other hand, can significantly benefit ecosystems, human health, and food security by modifying the nutritional profile and content of some health-promoting bioactive compounds in the species cultivated in this system. However, research on intercropping strategies focuses more on the benefits they can offer to ecosystems, and less on plant nutrient composition, and the existing information is scattered. The topic merits further study, given the critical impact that it could have on human nutrition. The aim of this review is therefore to collect viable details on the status of research into the profile of nutrients and bioactive compounds in intercropping systems in different regions of the world with unique mixed crops using plant species, along with the criteria for combining them, as well as the nutrients and bioactive compounds analyzed, to exemplify the possible contributions of intercropping systems to food availability and quality.

Capsaicin has been investigated as a phytogenic feed additive in animal production due to reported growth-promoting and immunomodulatory properties; however, its pungency limits practical application. Capsiate, a naturally occurring non-pungent capsaicin analog present in specific Capsicum annuum accessions, conserves many of its bioactive properties without inducing sensory irritation and has not been studied as a potential growth-promoting alternative. The present study evaluated whether dietary exposure to a capsiate-producing chili pepper influences growth and assessed associated intestinal responses using a murine model. A capsiate-producing Capsicum annuum accession (509-45-1) was characterized and incorporated into experimental diets providing 30 or 50 mg/kg capsiate to male C57BL/6J mice for 12 weeks. The dietary intervention was associated with dose-dependent increases in body weight and longitudinal femoral growth without altering body composition. Femoral elongation was accompanied by increased growth plate area and higher osteocyte number and area. At the intestinal level, the intervention was associated with downregulation of colonic transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) gene expression, modulation of redox-associated responses, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) expression, and differential modulation of innate immune signaling, including upregulation of Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and downregulation of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), together with reduced interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression. Collectively, these findings indicate that dietary supplementation with a capsiate-producing chili is associated with increased somatic growth and enhanced femoral development in mice, accompanied by intestinal transcriptional changes consistent with immunometabolic responses, while preserving body composition.

Various environmental, food security and population health problems seem to be related to intensive agriculture production worldwide. This type of food production system impacted the loss of biodiversity and natural habitats; high usage rates of agrochemicals and natural resources had affected soil composition, human health, and nutritional plant quality in rural areas. Intercropping agroecological systems that respect agrobiodiversity could significantly benefit ecosystems, human health, and food security by modifying the nutritional profile and the content of some health-promoting bioactive compounds of the species cultivated in this system. Research on intercropping strategies focuses on the benefits they can offer to ecosystems and less on nutrient plant composition, leaving information scattered when this theme should be more studied due to the critical impact it could provide for human nutrition. Therefore, this review aims to collect viable details on the investigation status of nutrients and bioactive compounds profile in intercropping systems by verifying different regions of the world with unique mixed crops using plant species, along with the criteria for combining them, as well as the nutrients and bioactive compounds analyzed to show what intercropping systems can contribute to food availability and quality.