Abstract
This chapter overviews the abiotic stressors that have, and potentially could be used as treatments, pre‐and/or postharvest, to enhance the levels of bioactive compounds found in commonly cultivated fruit crops. First, the chapter describes the main groups of fruit bioactives sensitive to environmental stressors and their associations with human health. Next, it describes the main environmental stressors that can influence the levels of bioactives in fruits. Further, the chapter explains the influence of environmental stressors and other treatments on the levels of bioactives in some commercially important fruits. Finally, the recently proposed concept of xenohormesis, a principle that attempts to explain how stressed plant produce could be of benefit to the animals that consume it, is briefly discussed with respect to crop production and human health.