Introduction. In the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, indigenous fruits are part of the eating habits of the population. Among these, 'melão croá' (Sicana sphaerica Vell.) and 'maracujina' (S. odorifera Naud) are rich in bioactive compounds such as carotenoids and antioxidant vitamins. The physical characteristics, physicochemical and proximate composition, concentration of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E and minerals were investigated in both fruits found in Atlantic Forest of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Materials and methods. Titratable acidity was analyzed by volumetric neutralization; soluble solids (SS) by refractometry; pH by potentiometry; moisture and ash by gravimetry after drying in an oven and muffle furnace, respectively; proteins by the micro-Kjeldahl method; lipids by gravimetry using soxhlet; dietary fibers by non-enzymatic gravimetry; carotenoids and vitamin C by HPLC-DAD; vitamin E by HPLCfluorescence; minerals by ICP-AES. Results and discussion. S. sphaerica presented the highest concentrations of SS (5.80 • Brix), TA (0.51 g of citric acid 100 g −1), pH (6.95), moisture (83.4 g 100 g −1), carbohydrate (13.38 g 100 g −1), vitamin A (123.33 µg RAE 100 g −1), vitamin C (4.97 mg 100 g −1), vitamin E (334.66 µg 100 g −1), K (28.79 mg 100 g −1), Fe (1.92 mg 100 g −1), and Zn (1.04 mg 100 g −1); while S. odorifera had the highest concentrations of total dietary fibers (1.33 g 100 g −1), lipids (1.00 g 100 g −1), proteins (2.62 g 100 g −1), ash (0.77 g 100 g −1), P (1.26 mg 100 g −1), and Ca (1.74 mg 100 g −1). Conclusion. The analyzed fruit showed a potential source of nutrients that can contribute to reducing food and nutrition insecurity of rural people, especially in the American continent, occurrence region of these fruits.

Ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata Mill.) is an unconventional vegetable found in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest and consumed, mainly by the rural population who lives in this biome. The present study investigated the nutritional value and contribution potential this species to the recommendations of daily nutrient intake for adults. Moisture and ash content were determined by gravimetry after oven drying and muffle incineration, respectively. Proteins were determined by the micro-Kjeldhal method; lipids by gravimetric lipids using soxhlet extractor; Total dietary fiber (TDF) by non-enzymatic gravimetry; Carotenoids and vitamin C by High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Diodes Array Detector; Vitamin E by HPLC and fluorescence detection; and minerals by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Ora-pro-nóbis presented concentrations of TDF (3.73 g 100 g -1 ), ash (0.96 g 100 g -1 ), lipids (1.45 g 100 g -1 ), protein (1.27 g 100 g -1 ), carotenoids (3.15 mg 100 g -1 ), total vitamin E (438.68 µg 100 g -1 ), Ca (427.08 mg 100 g -1 ), Mg (88.84 mg 100 g -1 ), Mn (3.46 mg 100 g -1 ), Fe (13.89 mg 100 g -1 ) and K (689.41 mg 100 g -1 ). The species was considered a source of TDF, a good source of Mg, Cu and K, and an excellent source of vitamin A, Ca, Mn, Fe and Se.

Species of unconventional food plants of the genus Sonchus are widely consumed in rural populations living in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. This study investigated the nutritional composition of S. oleraceus, S. asper, and S. arvensis species. The centesimal composition was investigated according to the norms of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, the occurrence and concentration of carotenoids and vitamins through High-Performance Liquid Chromatography, and minerals with the aid of atomic emission spectrometry in inductively coupled plasma. There was no significant difference between the water content found in the three species. However, S. asper showed higher concentrations of lipids (1.32 g/100 g), carbohydrates (0.34 g/100 g), total carotenoids (5.58 mg/100 g), and Ca (96.25 mg/100 g), while S. arvensis had the highest concentration of vitamins E (72.98 μg/100 g) and K (604.85 mg/100 g). S. oleraceus showed higher concentrations of Fe (23.74 mg/100 g). Statistically, fibers and ash presented the same proportions in S. asper and S. arvensis, as well as proteins in S. oleraceus and S. asper species. The availabilities of these vegetables together with their high nutritional value are important factors that contribute to ensuring food security for families that have these species in their diet.

The Atlantic Forest has species of native fruits, consumed fresh and processed, which have an important contribution to food sovereignty of families that consume it. This study examined the physical and physicochemical characteristics, proximate composition, concentration of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E and minerals in the pulp and kernels of fruits of licuri (Syagrus coronata (Mart.) Becc.). Titratable acidity was analyzed by volumetric neutralization, soluble solids by refractometry, proteins by the micro-Kjeldahl method, lipids by gravimetry using soxhlet, dietary fiber by non-enzymatic gravimetry, carotenoids and vitamin C by HPLC-DAD, vitamin E by HPLC-fluorescence, and minerals by ICP-AES. Pulp were a source of Zn

Although many native foods are part of the Brazilian diet, there is still limited information on their nutritional composition (Paula Filho et al., 2015a). However, the inclusion of information on nutritional composition becomes important to evaluate the supply of these food sources and to verify the possibility of nutritional adequacy of these foods in the diet (Paula Filho et al., 2015b). Erechtites valerianifolia (Wolf) DC. is an unconventional vegetable that belongs to the family Asteraceae and is widely distributed all the Brazilian Atlantic Forest biome. This vegetable is used as a food resource, specially by families inhabiting the rural area of this region, being commercialized in urban fairs as well (Barreira et al., 2015). Although its importance and use in the diets of many families is observed, up to the present time the nutritional composition of this vegetable is still little studied. Among works found on this species, stands out Wahab et al. (2015) who evaluated the nutritional value and bioactive components in samples of E. valerianifolia consumed by indigenous populations in Malaysia, these authors found high concentrations of β-carotene, carbohydrates and vitamin C in this species. Rosas-Romero & Saavedra (2005) observed that samples of E. valerianifolia collected in the District of Chapare, in Bolivia, presented antioxidant activity highly promising. As well, there is no record in the academic literature of some possible toxicity effect that the species may present, in this case, when there is, is eliminated by means of the preparation forms carried out by the families that consume this species. Considering the above, the present study investigated the centesimal analysis, content of carotenoids, vitamins (C and E) and minerals in samples of E. valerianifolia collected in natural environments of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. 2 Material and methods 2.1 Obtaining of the samples Fertile samples of E. valerianifolia were obtained in November of 2012, in the region of Viçosa (20°45'14" S and 42°52'44" W), and identified by experts from the herbarium of the Federal

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Background:Information on the knowledge, management and ways of using food and medicinal plants by traditional populations, family farmers and Brazilian native population in the Amazon is essential to guarantee the sovereignty of these groups. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diversity, knowledge and ways of using non-conventional food and medicinal plants in traditional communities in a conservation unit in the Brazilian Amazon.Methods:This study was conducted using semi-structured interviews applied to local respondents. Fifty-six residents were interviewed in 26 communities. The Indices of Use Value (UVI) and relative frequency of species citation (Fr) were evaluated; also, their diversity and equitability using the Shannon- Wiener (H’) Pielou (J’) indices, respectively. The species were listed according to their family, scientific name, popular names, categories of use, propagation environment, growth habit, medicinal indications, domestication status, production cycle and herbarium registration.Results:A total of 269 species of both non-conventional food and medicinal plants were identified, distributed in 84 botanical families, 198 genera, in addition to 13 unidentified species. The Arecaceae and Lamiaceae families had the highest species richness (11 and 7, respectively). Eryngium foetidum L. (Apiaceae) and Ipomoea potatoes L. (Convolvulaceae) presented the highest relative citation frequencies (19.7 and 19.3, respectively) and the highest index of use value of the species (0.94 and 0.92, respectively). The Shannon-Wiener (H’) and Pielou (J’) diversity indices were considered high (5.02 and 0.9, respectively) when compared to other ethnobotanical works carried out in Brazil and in the Amazon.Conclusions:A wide relationship of use was observed between the species under study and the population of this conservation area. In the environment in which these families are found, of geographical isolation and distance from urban centers, these species become, in many circumstances, the only food and medicinal resources, therefore, being fundamental to the sovereignty of these families.

In this study the native carotenoids composition in kumquat (Fortunella margarita) (peel + pulp) from Brazil was determined for the first time by a HPLC-DAD-APCI/MS (high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detector-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometry), methodology. Eleven carotenoids were successfully identified and quantified in kumquat: four carotenoids in the free form and seven carotenoids in the esterified form. β-citraurin-laurate was the carotenoid found in the highest content (607.33 µg/100 g fresh matter), followed by β-cryptoxanthin-laurate (552.59 µg/100 g). The different esterified forms of β-citraurin and β-cryptoxanthin represented 84.34% of the carotenoids found, which demonstrates the importance of esterification in natural fruits. β-carotene and free xanthophylls (β-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin) represented 5.50% and 14.96%, respectively, of total carotenoids in kumquat. The total carotenoid content of kumquat from Brazil was very high (2185.16 µg/100 g), suggesting that this fruit could contribute significantly to the intake of important bioactive compounds by the population.