Chemical composition, bioactive compounds extraction, and observed biological activities from jussara (Euterpe edulis): The exotic and endangered Brazilian superfruit

Abstract

In this article, we reviewed studies on the fruits of the jussara palm (Euterpe edulis Martius), an endangered Brazilian Atlantic Forest palm tree, also coined as “Superfruit.” We summarized the chemical components of the pulp and observed biological activities in murine and humans, as well as the best practices involving the extraction of its target compounds, bioavailability, and stability of extracts. Jussara has shown a rich phenolic profile that justifies its antioxidant properties, in addition to a considerable lipidic and energetic value. As the main feature, the fruit possesses large amounts of anthocyanins that can be commercially explored as a food additive or cosmetic colorants. Recent studies emphasized jussara's antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and cardioprotective capabilities via reshaping of the gut microbiota. Further knowledge is needed to establish bioavailability and optimal serving size, as many of its antioxidant compounds go under chemical bioconversion in the intestinal tract. While extraction of phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and oils have interesting results, more studies are required in order to reduce the use of conventional organic solvents and improve their stability and shelf life when added to food products, an area in which nanotechnology seems promising.

Study on the formation mechanism of blackening in damaged lotus rhizome epidermis: Effects of polyphenols and iron

“…This was in high consistency with the results of Yi et al (2016), which detected eight phenolic substances in the epidermal of "Elian 5," both of which detected gallocatechin, catechol, catechin, and epicatechin, but the latter of the remaining three substances was not detected, and the former did not detect gallic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, and rutin. The reasons for these differences may be related to the phenological period of lotus rhizome, the extraction method of phenolic substances, and the elution method of HPLC (Ren & Yang, 2022;Vannuchi et al, 2021). Moreover, compared with the BT group, the formation of blackening in LRE (MT group) caused a significant decrease (the larger reduction in gallocatechin, dopa, and catechin contents) in the content of seven kinds of polyphenols (p < 0.05), which was consistent with the change in TPCs (Figure 1f).…”

Anthocyanins in Chronic Diseases: The Power of Purple

“…The jussara palm tree ( Euterpe edulis ) from this area is now considered an endangered species. Its fruit has high nutritional value and also contains an average of 369 mg anthocyanins/100 g with cyanidin 3-rutinoside (148 mg/100 g) and cyanidin 3-glucoside (56 mg/100 g) as the major anthocyanins [ 59 ]. Açai fruits ( Euterpe oleracea Mart.)…”

What We Know about Euterpe Genus and Neuroprotection: A Scoping Review

“…Considering that the fruits of these three species are exotic with proven beneficial health effects due to their nutritional properties and the presence of a wide variety of phenolic compounds, these fruits received the status of “superfruits”, a term representing a marketing strategy that has contributed to increasing their popularity and high consumption in Brazil and worldwide [ 5 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. The fruits of these three species have a similar polyphenolic profile, and the presence of these bioactive substances has aroused scientific interest [ 7 , 10 , 18 , 23 , 27 , 29 , 30 ].…”

“…Considering that the fruits of these three species are exotic with proven beneficial health effects due to their nutritional properties and the presence of a wide variety of phenolic compounds, these fruits received the status of “superfruits”, a term representing a marketing strategy that has contributed to increasing their popularity and high consumption in Brazil and worldwide [ 5 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ]. The fruits of these three species have a similar polyphenolic profile, and the presence of these bioactive substances has aroused scientific interest [ 7 , 10 , 18 , 23 , 27 , 29 , 30 ]. The particular scientific interest in these natural compounds is related to the neuroprotective activity of many flavonoid and non-flavonoid molecules, which exert effects through a combination of multiple mechanisms of action that protect the CNS from neuroinflammation and damage induced by oxidative stress [ 7 , 10 , 18 , 25 , 31 ].…”