Phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of bacaba-de-leque (Oenocarpus distichus Mart.) genotypes

Emerging berries from the Brazilian Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes: new sources of bioactive compounds with potential health benefits

Brazil has a broad geographic biodiversity spread across its six different biomes. However, it has been suffering from the abusive exploitation of its resources, which poses a threat to the local fauna and flora. The Amazon and Atlantic Forest, for example, are birthplaces to rare and edible native species, such as bacaba (Oenocarpus bacaba, Arecaceae) and camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia, Myrtaceae), and cereja-do-Rio Grande (Eugenia involucrata, Myrtaceae) and grumixama (Eugenia brasiliensis, Myrtaceae), respectively. These plants produce fruits which are sources of macro and micronutrients, including sugars, dietary fibers, vitamins, minerals, and/or lipids. Nutritionally, their consumption have the ability to reach partially or totally the daily recommendations for adults of some nutrients. More recently, these fruits have also been exposed as interesting sources of minor bioactive compounds, such as carotenoids, terpenes, and/or polyphenols, the latter which include anthocyanins, phenolic acids, and tannins. Particularly, bacaba stands out for being a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (around 22%, dry weight) and dietary fibers (6.5-21%, dry weight); camu-camu has very high contents of vitamin C (up to 5000 mg per 100 g of pulp, dry basis); and cereja-do-Rio-Grande and grumixama are abundant sources of anthocyanins. Although they are still underexplored, several in vitro and in vivo studies with different parts of the fruits, including the peel, seed, and pulp, indicate their health potential through anti-oxidative, anti-obesity, antihyperglycemic, antidyslipidemic, antimicrobial, and/or anticancer effects. All things considered, the focus of this research was to highlight the bioactive potential and health impact of native fruits from the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes.

Nutritional Composition and Bioactive Compounds of Native Brazilian Fruits of the Arecaceae Family and Its Potential Applications for Health Promotion

The fruits from the Arecaceae family, although being rich in bioactive compounds with potential benefits to health, have been underexplored. Studies on their composition, bioactive compounds, and effects of their consumption on health are also scarce. This review presents the composition of macro- and micronutrients, and bioactive compounds of fruits of the Arecaceae family such as bacaba, patawa, juçara, açaí, buriti, buritirana, and butiá. The potential use and reported effects of its consumption on health are also presented. The knowledge of these underutilized fruits is important to encourage production, commercialization, processing, and consumption. It can also stimulate their full use and improve the economy and social condition of the population where these fruits are found. Furthermore, it may help in future research on the composition, health effects, and new product development. Arecaceae fruits presented in this review are currently used as raw materials for producing beverages, candies, jams, popsicles, ice creams, energy drinks, and edible oils. The reported studies show that they are rich in phenolic compounds, carotenoids, anthocyanins, tocopherols, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and fatty acids. Moreover, the consumption of these compounds has been associated with anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, antiobesity, and cardioprotective effects. These fruits have potential to be used in food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Despite their potential, some of them, such as buritirana and butiá, have been little explored and limited research has been conducted on their composition, biological effects, and applications. Therefore, more detailed investigations on the composition and mechanism of action based on in vitro and/or in vivo studies are needed for fruits from the Arecaceae family.

Optimization of Phenolic Compounds Extraction of Different Parts of Camu-camu Fruit from Different Geographic Regions

Phenolic compounds in camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia) have received interest due to their health-promoting effects. However, these compounds have been poorly investigated in the different parts of the camu-camu fruit (pulp, peel, and seeds). This study aimed to optimize the solvent composition for extraction of phenolic compounds from pulp, peels, and seeds of camu-camu through a simplex-centroid mixture design. Then, the profile of phenolic compounds in samples of camu-camu pulp, peels, and seeds from different regions in Brazil and South America was determined by UPLC-ESI-MS/MS. Aqueous ethanol (80%, v/v) yielded the highest extraction for the pulp and peel, while aqueous methanol (50%, v/v) was selected for the seed. Camu-camu parts had p-coumaric acid, catechin, epicatechin, luteolin, rutin, and quercetin, with catechin as the major compound in the pulp, peels, and seeds of all the evaluated samples. The peel showed lower concentrations of these compounds compared with the pulp and the seed; the content of phenolic compounds also differed according to the geographic region. These results broaden the knowledge on phytochemical extraction and composition of camu-camu pulp, peel, and seed and may guide future applications of their extracts in the food industry.

Nutraceutical potential of Amazonian oilseeds in modulating the immune system against COVID-19 - A narrative review

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 disease, medical and scientific communities are facing a challenge to contain its spread, develop effective treatments, and reduce its sequelae. Together with the therapeutical treatments, the use of dietary bioactive compounds represents a promising and cost-effective strategy to modulate immunological responses. Amazonian oilseeds are great sources of bioactive compounds, thus representing not only a dietary source of nutrients but also of substances with great interest for human health. This narrative review compiled the available evidence regarding the biochemical properties of some Amazonian oilseeds, especially Brazil nut, Açaí berry, Bacaba, Peach palm, Sapucaya and Tucuma fruits, on human health and its immune system. These effects were discussed from an etiological and pathophysiological perspective, emphasizing their potential role as a co-adjuvant strategy against COVID-19. Besides this, the cost associated with these strategies hinders their applicability in many nations, especially low-income countries and communities living in social insecurity.

Comparison of Four Oil Extraction Methods for Sinami Fruit (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karst): Evaluating Quality, Polyphenol Content and Antioxidant Activity

The sinami palm (Oenocarpus mapora H. Karst) is a plant from the South American Amazonia that has great potential for industrial applications in the development of functional foods, nutraceuticals and cosmeceuticals. In this manuscript, the physicochemical properties, total polyphenol content and antioxidant activity of sinami oil that was obtained using four extraction systems, namely expeller press extraction (EPE), cold press extraction (CPE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), were studied and compared. The oxidative stability (OSI) was statistically non-significant in EPE and SFE. The chromatic properties (CIELab) were influenced by the extraction methods and SFE presented high values of L* and a lower content of plant pigments. Ultrasound-assisted extraction showed a higher content of polyphenols and higher antioxidant activity. Different analyses for the evaluation of the physicochemical properties, the content of total polyphenols and antioxidant activity were used to classify sinami oil according to chemometrics using principal component analysis (PCA). For example, the sinami oil that was obtained using each extraction method was in a different part of the plot. In summary, sinami oil is an excellent resource for plant pigments. Additionally, the information that was obtained on the quality parameters in this study provided a good foundation for further studies on the characterization of major and minor compounds.

Genetic divergence of native palms of Oenocarpus distichus considering biometric fruit variables

Oenocarpus distichus presents economic, ecological, and dietary potential for pulp market processed in natura. Germplasm conservation and genetic improvement depend on genetic divergence studies. The objective was to quantify genetic divergence in a native population of O. distichus genotypes based on fruit biometrics. The fruit length and width, fruit mass, pulp and seed, pulp and almond thickness, and pulp yield per fruit were evaluated. All fruit biometric characteristics of O. distichus palms show genetic variability. Genetic variations among genotypes are essential for predicting heredity and heterosis, which are essential for improving O. distichus production. Pulp yield and seed mass were negatively correlated. Almond thickness and pulp, seed mass and transverse diameter were positively correlated. Genetic distances between pair of genotypes ranged from 0.07 to 48.10 with three genetically distinct groups. The seed mass, almond thickness and transverse diameter contributed to genetic divergence. Heritability estimates the genetic control that can be obtained from O. distichus germplasm. Correlations between the variable pair reduce the evaluation effort and the resources to measure the genotype allocations in heterogeneous groups presenting high genetic variability. This makes it possible to select individuals for hybridization programs with F1 generation gains. Correlation and relative contribution networks, based on relationships graphical between fruit biometric characteristics, allow the variables selection with less effort and fewer measurements. O. distichus fruit biometric characters are efficient to quantify genetic divergence between genotypes.

Bioactive compounds and health benefits of some palm species traditionally used in Africa and the Americas - A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

According to previous ethno-medicinal reviews, Cocos nucifera, Elaeis guineensis and Phoenix dactylifera are among the main palms which are often used on the American and African continents to treat infections, infestations and disorders in the digestive, respiratory, genito-urinary, dermal, endocrine, cardiovascular, muscular-skeletal, mental and neural systems, as well as neoplasms, dental issues and metabolic and nutritional disorders. In addition, one or more species of the wild genera Acrocomia, Areca, Astrocaryum, Attalea, Bactris, Borassus, Calamus, Chamaedorea, Chamaerops, Euterpe, Hyphaene, Mauritia, Oenocarpus and Syagrus have a high number of records of these ethno-medicinal uses. The most used parts of the palm tree are the fruits, followed by roots, seeds, leaves and flower sap.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review discusses the phytochemical composition and the pharmacological properties of these important ethno-medicinal palms, aiming to provide a contribution to future research prospects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Significant information was compiled from an electronic search in widely used international scientific databases (Google Scholar, Science Direct, SciFinder, Web of Science, PubMed, Wiley on line Library, Scielo, ACS Publications), and additional information was obtained from dissertations, theses, books and other relevant websites.

RESULTS

Palms, in general, are rich in oils, terpenoids and phenolic compounds. Fruits of many species are notable for their high content of healthy oils and fat-soluble bioactive compounds, mainly terpenoids, such as pigment carotenoids (and provitamin A), phytosterols, triterpene pentacyclics and tocols (and vitamin E), while other species stood out for their phenolic compounds derived from benzoic and cinnamic acids, along with flavan-3-ol, flavone, flavonol, and stilbene compounds or anthocyanin pigments. In addition to fruits, other parts of the plant such as seeds, leaves, palm heart, flowers and roots are also sources of many bioactive compounds. These compounds are linked to the ethno-medicinal use of many palms that improve human health against infections, infestations and disorders of human systems.

CONCLUSIONS

Palms have provided bioactive samples that validate their effectiveness in traditional medicine. However, the intensive study of all palm species related to ethno-medicinal use is needed, along with selection of the most appropriate palm accessions, ripe stage of the fruit and /or part of the plant. Furthermore, the complete profiles of all phytochemicals, their effects on animal models and human subjects, and toxicological and clinical trials are suggested, which, added to the incorporation of improved technological processes, should represent a significant advance for the implementation of new opportunities with wide benefits for human health.

Phenolic compounds are highly correlated to the antioxidant capacity of genotypes of Oenocarpus distichus Mart. fruits

This research aimed to evaluate 32 genotypes of Oenocarpus distichus fruits regarding the contents of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, flavanols, monomeric anthocyanins, antioxidant capacity (ABTS and DPPH assays), and the phenolic compound profiles of the five genotypes that presented the highest yields of bioactive compounds. The genotypes were harvested in three different locations in Pará State, Northern Brazil, (Belém, São João do Araguaia and Marabá). Among the 32 genotypes, the highest bioactive compound contents and antioxidant capacity were found for three genotypes harvested in Belém (B-3, B-7 and B-8) and two harvested in São João do Araguaia (SJ-1 and SJ-4), and the total phenolic compounds varied from 131.97 to 363.01 mg gallic acid equivalent/100 g, total flavonoids from 24.23 to 38.19 mg quercetin equivalent/100 g, total flavanols from 72.29 to 259.18 mg catechin equivalent/100 g, and monomeric anthocyanins from 21.31 to 67.76 mg cyanidin 3-rutinoside/100 g. The main phenolic compounds tentatively identified in the five selected genotypes were cyanidin 3-O-rutinoside (48.47 to 196.51 μg/g), which could be identified and quantified as the major phenolic compound in Oenocarpus distichus fruits, for the first time, followed by chlorogenic acid (0.71 to 64.56 μg/g) and rutin (13.98 to 56.76 μg/g).