What do we know about the chemical composition and nutritional value of food plants from Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil?

Abstract

At least 294 native food species are listed for Mato Grosso do Sul. We carried out a synthesis of knowledge about the chemical composition, nutritional content and mineral contents of these species, in order to recognize the main trends in scientific research in this area and identify knowledge gaps that can be prioritized in future research. A total of 669 articles related to the physical-chemical composition or mineral content of 95 native food species from Mato Grosso do Sul were included in our review. There has been a significant increase in publications over the last 15 years, but for 67,7% of the species with potential for food use in the state, no bromatological studies were recorded. Arachis hypogaea (139 artigos), Ilex paraguariensis (63) e Caryocar brasiliense (44) before with the highest number of articles published. The studies were published in 214 scientific journals, conducted in 52 countries and 52% of them were carried out in Brazil. Obtaining bromatological information helps to enhance the nutritional and food role of species, in addition to rescuing cultural values ​​and increasing the consumption of native species used in food, strengthening the conservation and sustainable management of biodiversity. This review presents an overview of the temporal, spatial and phylogenetic distribution of the studies developed so far, allowing to observe gaps and research priorities.