Araticum (Annona crassiflora Mart.) as a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds for food and non-food purposes: A comprehensive review

Abstract

Araticum (Annona crassiflora Mart.) is a fruitful tree native to the Brazilian Cerrado biome that holds high nutritional, functional and economic potential. This plant has been used since ancient times by folk medicine for the treatment of several pathological conditions. There has been increasing interest in the development of pulp-based food products as well as the by-products utilization to obtain value-added ingredients. Understanding the chemical composition and biological activities of different botanical parts of Annona crassiflora Mart. provides a basis to support future researches and applications. In this context, this paper carries out an exhaustive review of the scientific literature, on the main phytochemicals of different botanical parts of Annona crassiflora Mart. (fruit, leaves, stem and root) and their biological activities, assessing their potential uses for several industrial segments. Annona crassiflora Mart. fruits and especially their by-products (peel and seeds) and leaves have been shown a wide range of bioactive compounds such as phenolic compounds, alkaloids, annonaceous acetogenins, tocols, carotenoids, phytosterols, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and essential oils. These compounds contribute to various biological activities, including antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antitumoral, analgesic, antidiabetic, skin healing, antidiarrhoeic, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, insecticide and herbicide activities of Annona crassiflora Mart. extracts. Therefore, these findings demonstrate that Annona crassiflora Mart. fruit, by-products and leaves can be excellent candidates to be used as functional foods and/or sources for obtaining bioactive compounds for the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical applications.

Keywords: Biological activity; Cerrado fruit; Chemical constituents; Health benefits; Marolo; Nutraceuticals; Nutritional composition; Phytochemicals.