Fruits of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest: allying biodiversity conservation and food security

Abstract

Supplying food to growing human populations without depleting natural resources is a challenge for modern human societies. Considering this, the present study has addressed the use of native arboreal species as sources of food for rural populations in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The aim was to reveal species composition of edible plants, as well as to evaluate the practices used to manage and conserve them. Ethnobotanical indices show the importance of many native trees as local sources of fruits while highlighting the preponderance of the Myrtaceae family. Conservation analysis allowed to identify Campomanesia hirsuta Gardner and Plinia edulis (Vell.) Sobral as being of high Biological Value and Conservation Priority. In spite of that, the local management practices of native fruits appear to be sustainable and contribute to the maintenance and dissemination of valuable species. These results suggest a number of recommended future conservation actions and show the potential of Myrtaceae species for future agronomical development in Neotropical regions.

Determination of water-soluble vitamins and carotenoids in Brazilian tropical fruits by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

“…With the exception of zeaxanthin, they are the most commonly found in food, with β-carotene being the most widely distributed ( Rodriguez-Amaya et al., 2008 ). It is important to highlight the relevance of recognizing these sources of carotenoids in fruits to increase their consumption by the population and stimulate their cultivation, since fruit trees play an important economic role for the Brazilian population and local industries, although they are still under-explored ( Ribeiro et al., 2014 ; Souza et al., 2018 ).…”

The Importance of the Utilization of Forest Fruits in Batak Toba Community

“…They concluded that harvesting and domesticating various fruit plants emerge significant economic benefits (Agbelade & Onyekwelu, 2013;Man & Januszewska, 2010;Onyekwelu, Olusola, Stimm, Mosandl, & Agbelade, 2014). Besides, forest fruit plants also provide ecological benefits for species conservation (Bolakhe & Ghimire, 2019;Estoque et al, 2019;De Souza et al, 2018) and the environment (Khair, Purnomo, & Sumaryoto, 2017;Sardeshpande & Shackleton, 2019;Wang, Sun, Xiong, Yang, Hou, & Sheng, 2019).…”

Protein-enriched umbu (Spondias tuberosa) jam prepared by supplementation with Spirulina sp. LEB-18

“…Brazil is one of the main fresh fruit producers worldwide because of its favorable climatic conditions. Some recent studies have shown that the biomes of the Brazilian territory include a variety of native and exotic species that could be used in food (Souza et al, 2018;Teixeira et al, 2019) to improve its nutritional value and provide health benefits owing to the presence of a great diversity of bioactive chemical compounds (Paz et al, 2015). However, information on this potential of some species is not only limited, but completely absent.…”