Abstract
A sustainable food supply is an ever-growing public and planetary health concern influenced by food culture, food practices, and dietary patterns. Globally, the consumption of plant foods that offer physiological and biochemical benefits is increasing. In recent years, products made from yacon (Smallanthus sonchifolius) tubers and leaves, e.g., in the form of syrup, powder, and herbal tea, have steadily emerged with scientific evidence to validate their possible health claims. Yacon was introduced to New Zealand in 1966, and its products can now be produced on a commercial scale. This paper reviews literature published mainly in the last 10 years concerning the health-related properties of yacon as a wholesome foodstuff and its bioactive components, e.g., fructooligosaccharides. Literature was sourced from Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO Health, and Google Scholar up to June 2019. The potential markets for yacon in the field of food technology and new dietotherapy applications are discussed. Furthermore, the unique features of New Zealand-produced yacon syrup are introduced as a case study. The paper explores the scientific foundation in response to the growing public interest in why and how to use yacon.
Highlights
A sustainable food supply is an ever-growing public and planetary health concern influenced by food culture, food practices, and dietary patterns
Yacon is perceived as a functional food because it contains biologically active components that may provide physiological benefits beyond basic nutritional functions to reduce the risk of chronic diseases [3,4]
Though it is relatively new to the global market due to its lack of availability and low popularity, yacon has been considered as a functional food with multiple physiological properties related to its bioactive compounds [4,5] in both its leaves and tubers; these properties include those of anti-cancer, antioxidative, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anti-obesity and weight management
Summary
A sustainable food supply is an ever-growing public and planetary health concern influenced by food culture, food practices, and dietary patterns. Its health-related properties are closely associated with its abundant bioactive components [7,8]. This paper reviews literature published mainly in the last 10 years that concerns the nutritional and chemical composition of yacon, the health-related properties of yacon as a wholesome foodstuff, and the bioactive components of yacon. The potential markets for yacon in the field of food technology and new dietotherapy applications are discussed. Yacon is a plant native to South America, where it is consumed as food and is used in folk medicine for treating diabetes, constipation, and other diseases [7,22]. Fructans with a short-chain are known as FOS (the degree of polymerization (DP) < 9), and long-chain linear fructans are inulins (DP up to 60).
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