Highlights
- There are five fruit tress native to the Atlantic Rainforest
- Not only anti-oxidants fight ageing, but they also prevent diseases
- The project also studied fruits with strong anti-oxidant activity
According to a study supported by the Sao Paulo Research Foundation, there are five fruit tress native to the Atlantic Rainforest that has powerful anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The research states that native Brazilian species araca-piranga, cereja-do-rio-grande, grumixama and e ubajai- all from genus Eugenia and bacupari-mirim are examples of functional foods, which besides vitamins and nutritional value, have bioactive properties, like the capacity to fight free radicals, causing cellular damage.
Not only anti-oxidants fight ageing, but they also work in the prevention of diseases mediated by chronic inflammation. The researchers explained, oxidative action of free radicals leads to the appearance of dependent inflammatory diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis, obesity and Alzheimer's disease. These are silent inflammations, hence the importance of anti-oxidants.
According to the researchers, these fruits would contain a large amount of anti-oxidants, just like well-known berries, including blueberry, blackberry and strawberry that are quite known to the scientists.
The study evaluated phenolic compounds- chemicals that can have preventive or curative effects- and the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant mechanisms of material extracted from the five fruits' leaves, seeds and pulp. The project also studied fruits with strong anti-oxidant activity, for the use by the food and pharmaceutical industries- and with anti-inflammatory properties.
Because these species are rare and some have been classified as endangered, the samples of study were supplied by two small farms in the interior of Sao Paulo State. There wasn't much scientific knowledge about the properties of these native fruits.