Open AccessSome wild fruits from amazon biodiversity: composition, bioactive compounds, and characteristics
Author(s) -
Hmh Sousa,
Gabriela Fonsêca Leal,
Clarissa Damiani,
Soraia Vilela Borges,
Bárbara Catarina Bastos de Freitas,
Gabrimar Araújo Martins
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
food research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.218
H-Index - 7
ISSN - 2550-2166
DOI - 10.26656/fr.2017.5(5).687
Subject(s) - amazon rainforest , phytochemical , traditional medicine , carotenoid , biodiversity , vitamin c , antioxidant , botany , chemistry , biology , food science , medicine , ecology , biochemistry
Brazil is one of the countries that share a part of the Amazon region that has been calledLegal Amazon. Amazon forest offers the most extraordinary biodiversity of flora andfauna on the planet and, on its surface, can cohabit 50% of the total existing living species.According to some botanists, it would contain about 16-20% of the species that existtoday. This region has native fruits with antioxidants and antiproliferative activitiesalready reported by some authors. Consumption of these fruits would be an alternativebecause they are good sources of nutritional constituents, such as minerals, fibre, vitamins,water, and caloric content. However, the number of scientific studies related to their healthbenefits is still low. Eugenia stipitata, Myrciaria dubia H. B. K. (Mcvough), Endopleurauchi (Huber) Cuatrecasas, Eugenia punicifolia (Kunth) D.C and Garcinia madruno.Among the main compounds reported are the most interesting groups: phenoliccompounds, unsaturated fatty acids, carotenoids, phytosterols, and tocopherols,flavonoids, vitamin B, vitamin A, and vitamin C, and carotenoids. The main beneficialeffect of the Amazon fruits is the antioxidant effect; other functional properties asmedicinal, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, antigenotoxic, antigenotoxic, and antiinflammatory, antinociceptive, antidiabetic, and gastroprotective, are also reported.Therefore, these fruits can be considered a valuable source of functional foods due to theirphytochemical compositions and their corresponding antioxidant activities.