RESUMO
The pursuit of an improved quality of life is a major trend in the food market. This is driving the reformulation of the industry's product portfolio, with the aim of providing nourishment while also contributing to beneficial health metabolic processes. In this context, the use of local biodiversity and the recovery of the traditional knowledge associated with the consumption of vegetables that grow spontaneously in nature emerge as more sustainable and nutritionally adequate concepts. The Amazon region is known for its abundant biodiversity, housing numerous unconventional food plants whose nutritional and biological properties remain unknown due to a lack of research. Among the different species are Xanthosoma sagittifolium, Acmella oleracea, Talinum triangulare, Pereskia bleo, Bidens bipinnata, and Costus spiralis. These species contain bioactive compounds such as apigenin, syringic acid, spilanthol, and lutein, which provide various health benefits. There are few reports on the biological effects, nutritional composition, bioactive compounds, and market prospects for these species. Therefore, this review provides an overview of their nutritional contribution, bioactive compounds, health benefits, and current market, as well as the use of new technologies that can contribute to the development of functional products/ingredients derived from them.
RESUMO
Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have been considered a global health problem, characterized as diseases of multiple factors, which are developed throughout life, and regardless of genetics as a risk factor of important relevance, the increase in mortality attributed to the disease to environmental factors and the lifestyle one leads. Although the reactive species (ROS/RNS) are necessary for several physiological processes, their overproduction is directly related to the pathogenesis and aggravation of NCDs. In contrast, dietary polyphenols have been widely associated with minimizing oxidative stress and inflammation. In addition to their antioxidant power, polyphenols have also drawn attention for being able to modulate both gene expression and modify epigenetic alterations, suggesting an essential involvement in the prevention and/or development of some pathologies. Therefore, this review briefly explained the mechanisms in the development of some NCDs, followed by a summary of some evidence related to the interaction of polyphenols in oxidative stress, as well as the modulation of epigenetic mechanisms involved in the management of NCDs.
RESUMO
This review reports the nutritional, phytochemical compounds and biological properties of 4 fruits commonly consumed by people living in Amazon region, namely Biribá (Rollinia mucosa Jacq.), Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L.), Pupunha (Bactris gasipaes Kunth) and Tucumã (Astrocaryum aculeatum Meyer). These fruits have been high held nutritional, functional and economic potential and contribute to the daily intake of nutrients, energy and bioactive compounds by people living in Amazon rainforest region. Phytochemical compounds with biological properties were detected in these fruits, for instance (but not limited to), annonaceous acetogenins in Biribá, geraniin and corilagin in Rambutan, rutin and catechin in Pupunha, and ß-carotene and flavonoids in Tucumã. The biological properties of Biribá, Rambutan, Pupunha and Tucumã have been evaluated by in vitro and in vivo assays, especially antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Therefore, these Amazonian fruits can be exploited by the food industry as a food and therapeutic plant-material to develop valuable products, such as medicine products and can be used as sources for obtaining compounds for the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical applications.
