ESPOCH Congresses: The Ecuadorian Journal of S.T.E.A.M.
ISSN: 2789-5009
Leading Ecuadorian research in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
Ecuadorian Amazonian Fruits: A Proposal to Value Biodiversity and Promote Food Sovereignty
Published date: Nov 09 2023
Journal Title: ESPOCH Congresses: The Ecuadorian Journal of S.T.E.A.M.
Issue title: Volume 3 Issue 1
Pages: 284–297
Authors:
Abstract:
Fruits are characterized as a source of vitamins and minerals, recognized as an important part of a healthy eating pattern that reduces the risk of some chronic diseases. The Ecuadorian flora in the Amazon region is rich in edible fruits, but little is known about their characteristics and nutritional importance. At the same time, over the years, traditional knowledge about them has been lost. With this implication, this work pretends to describe a research proposal that values the biodiversity of edible fruits in the Ecuadorian Amazon, so that these underutilized products are conceived as more than merchandise. For this purpose, a narrative bibliographic review and a participatory observation were carried out. The research proposal included three stages i) the characterization of fruits traded in local markets; ii) an ethnobotanical study to identify the use and preference of the fruits; and iii) the analysis of bioactive compounds of at least 5 fruits prioritized according to the characterization and ethnobotanical study. The proposal stages generated research that converges the valuation of biodiversity, traditional knowledge, and nutritional potential of Ecuadorian Amazonian fruits.
Keywords: edibles, characterization, bioactives, Ecuador, ethnobotany.
Resumen
Las frutas se caracterizan por ser una fuente de vitaminas y minerales, reconocidas como una parte importante de un patrón de alimentación saludable que reducen el riesgo de algunas enfermedades crónicas. La flora ecuatoriana en la región amazónica es rica en frutas comestibles, pero muy poco se conoce sobre sus características e importancia nutricional. A su vez, con el pasar de los años se está perdiendo el conocimiento tradicional sobre estas. Con esta implicación, este trabajo busca describir una propuesta de investigación que valore la biodiversidad de las frutas comestibles presentes en la Amazonía ecuatoriana para que estos productos infrautilizados sean concebidos como algo más que mercancías. Para esto se realizó una revisión bibliográfica narrativa y una observación participativa. La propuesta resultante incluyó tres etapas i) la caracterización de las frutas comercializadas en los mercados locales ii) un estudio etnobotánico que identifique el uso y preferencia de las frutas y iii) el análisis de compuestos bioactivos de al menos 5 frutas priorizadas de acuerdo con la caracterización y estudio etnobotánico. Las etapas de la propuesta generaron una investigación que converge la valoración de la biodiversidad, el conocimiento tradicional y el potencial nutricional de las frutas amazónicas ecuatorianas.
Palabras Clave: comestibles, caracterización, bioactivos, Ecuador, etnobotánica.
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