A critical review of some fruit trees from the Myrtaceae family as promising sources for food applications with functional claims

Author(s)

Farias, David de Paulo ^[1] ; Neri-Numa, Iramaia Angelica ^[1] ; de Araujo, Fabio Fernandes ^[1] ; Pastore, Glaucia Maria ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Estadual Campinas, Fac Food Engn, Dept Food Sci, Bioflavors & Bioact Cpds Lab, Rua Monteiro Lobato 80, BR-13083862 Campinas, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Review article
• Source: Food Chemistry; v. 306, FEB 15 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 21

Abstract

The Myrtaceae family is one of the world's leading commercial fruit tree families. Among the 121 genera belonging to this family, the Syzygium, Eugenia and Campomanesia genera are constituted by a wide variety of fruit species with great potential to be explored economically, besides presenting excellent nutritional value and being considered sources of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds, carotenoids and volatile compounds. Many of these phytochemicals have been linked to the prevention and management of several chronic and degenerative diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, amnesia among other disorders. In this context, this review discusses about the importance of four fruits species representative of Myrtaceae family such as Syzygium cumini, Syzygium malaccense, Eugenia pyriformis and Campomanesia xanthocarpa, focusing on the nutrients and phytochemical constituents as well as demonstrating their biological effects in order to stimulate the cultivation and consumption of these fruits. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 15/50333-1 - COBRA: a novel compound discovery pipeline for rapid and cost-effective identification of bioactives with health beneficial effects in Brazilian crops
• Grantee: Glaucia Maria Pastore
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants