Bioactive compounds isolated from Amazonian fruits and their possible applications

Abstract

The Amazon is known worldwide for its diverse flora, and because of that, it contains a wide variety of fruit species. Many of these fruits have great economic importance. They are widely studied regarding nutritional properties and beneficial bioactives for health. Açaí, buriti, camu-camu, guaraná, pitomba, tucumã, uchi, and mari-mari, among other fruits, are some examples of fruits already reported in the literature as functional fruits. This chapter summarizes details about several Amazonian fruits, such as production and composition, and new species recently studied. We will also explore the applications of specific compounds isolated from these fruits or their extracts, discussing their main reported activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, and enzyme inhibitor (α-glucosidase and lipase), among other properties, showing the potential of these fruits as functional foods and how the bioactive compounds can support human health.