Abstract
The Amazon region contains the world’s leading genetic reserve of native plants, with most of the area located in Brazil. This region is rich in species that little known or still unknown by the population at large, including species that produce non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as edible nuts. The objective was to verify the occurrence of these edible nuts in Brazil, to evaluate their potential and the possibility of other uses, in addition to expanding the knowledge about them. A bibliographic review of the last 50 years was carried out, mainly using the descriptors the popular name and the scientific name of the four nut trees present in the Amazon and their respective families, namely: agouti nut (Acioa edulis Prance) and egg nut (Acioa longipendula Pilg.) From the Chrysobalanaceae family, and sapucaia nut (Lecythis Pisonis Miers) and Brazil nut (Bertholletia excels Bonpl.) From the Lecythidaceae family. The Chrysobalanaceae has 450 species and 17 genera of woody plants and shrubs, producing oilseeds by some species, including egg and agouti nuts. The Lecythidaceae, on the other hand, has approximately 17 genera and 300 species, and in Brazil it is possible to find 9 genera and 122 species, 54 of them endemic, some of which produce edible seeds such as sapucaia and Brazil nuts. Those species have a great nutritional potential, and the chemical composition of their nuts reveals a good amount of lipids and proteins, but more in-depth research on the subject is necessary, including on other biases for better knowledge of the species, discovery of other potential uses and benefits and, consequently, their valorization.
Highlights
Known as the largest continuous area of tropical forest in the world, the Amazon has great biodiversity of species, both flora and fauna, attracting the attention of researchers who want to understand, the origins, ecology, evolution and processes that maintain diverse communities (Cardoso et al, 2017).The Brazilian flora, mainly in the middle part of the North region and western portion of the Northeast, has species that are little known and can be used as raw material for various uses (Carvalho, 2008).Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can be used and/or sold in modest quantities by local people (Elias & Santos, 2016), enabling the conservation of the forest ecosystem together with economic development (Almeida, Bittencourt, Santos, Eisfeld, & Souza, 2009)
This region is rich in species that little known or still unknown by the population at large, including species that produce non-timber forest products (NTFPs) such as edible nuts
Among the NTFPs of Amazonian origin, some species still need to be studied for their potential of domestication and dissemination, among which species that produce edible nuts stand out: cutia nut (Acioa edulis Prance) and egg nut (Acioa longipendula), both belonging to the Chrysobalanaceae family, and sapucaia nut (Lecythis pisonis) and Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa), belonging to the Lecythidaceae family
Summary
Known as the largest continuous area of tropical forest in the world, the Amazon has great biodiversity of species, both flora and fauna, attracting the attention of researchers who want to understand, the origins, ecology, evolution and processes that maintain diverse communities (Cardoso et al, 2017). Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can be used and/or sold in modest quantities by local people (Elias & Santos, 2016), enabling the conservation of the forest ecosystem together with economic development (Almeida, Bittencourt, Santos, Eisfeld, & Souza, 2009). These products can be used as basic foods for sustenance and have a wide range of medicinal applications, among others (Wiersum, 2017). The objective of the article is, through a bibliographic review within the last 50 years, to show the agronomic, botanical and economic aspects of four NTFP species from the Amazon that produce edible nuts, stressing the importance of their preservation and possible sustainable use in agroforestry for sale on local and global markets
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