Throughout history, harvesting of fruit from the wild has played a role in the livelihoods of people in South Africa. For the San, who lived in South Africa for thousands of years, wild fruits were a staple food during parts of the year (Fox & Norwood Young 1983). Among the Bantu people, who entered South Africa about two thousand years ago (Hammond-Tooke 1993), agriculture was the main way in which food was acquired, but they also collected food from the wild. Especially during times of hardship, when cattle herds were decimated or crops were destroyed, they relied on hunting and gathering of fruits and edible plants from the wild for survival (Shapera & Goodwin 1959; Stuart & Malcolm 1986; Bundy 1988). European people settling in South Africa learnt to use and appreciate wild fruits (van Dyk 1988). In the rural areas of the Southern African region, the utilization of wild fruits as a source of food has persisted, especially among black people (Walker 1989; Shackleton 1996; Rossiter, Pellegrin et al. 1997). There is increasing interest in the domestication and improvement of selected fruits, and their utilization as orchard crops, marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) being the prime example (Nerd et al.1990; Holtzhausen, Swart & van Rensburg 1990; Nerd & Mizrahi 1993; Geldenhuys 2001; Taylor 2001; Barton 2001). Research into the wild fruits of South Africa has been mainly botanical or anthropological.

Submitted by Verena Pereira (verenagoncalves@uefs.br) on 2018-07-12T21:21:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTA??O- POTENCIAL NUTRICIONAL E ATIVIDADE ANTIOXIDANTE (IN VITRO) DE FRUTOS SILVESTRES DO ESTADO DA BAHIA-VALDENI DI~1.pdf: 1484144 bytes, checksum: 520f0ad25aaf65ce9fff95db0ad63eca (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-07-12T21:21:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERTA??O- POTENCIAL NUTRICIONAL E ATIVIDADE ANTIOXIDANTE (IN VITRO) DE FRUTOS SILVESTRES DO ESTADO DA BAHIA-VALDENI DI~1.pdf: 1484144 bytes, checksum: 520f0ad25aaf65ce9fff95db0ad63eca (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-12-04 / Studies conducted with the Brazilian population show the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the country. They also show changes in lifestyle, such as increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, as important sources of bioactive compounds that play an antioxidant role and help prevent chronic diseases. The existence of still unexplored Bahian flora genera, such as Myrcia, provides a perspective of the use of these fruits in human food and for commercial purposes. The objective of this work was to evaluate the nutritional value and antioxidant activity of Myrcia guianensis (Aubl.) DC fruits.andMyrcia splendens (S.w.) DC. collected in the municipality of Alagoinhas-BA. The chemical and physicochemical characteristics were determined from the analysis of the whole fruits and the bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity from the crude lyophilized extract of the pulp and peel. The nutritional value of both species studied equates to the composition of the fruits in general. The amount of phenols ((M. guianensis: 56,41 ?g/mL e 42,60 ?g/mL / M. splendens:160,42 ?g/mL e 94,82 ?g/mL), flanovonoids (M. guianensis: 9,10 ?g/mL e 3,22 ?g/mL / M. splendens:15,71 ?g/mL e 3,76 ?g/mL), total anthocyanins (M. guianensis: 1957,37 mg/mL e 2757,34 mg/mL / M. splendens:943,10 mg/mL) and monomeric anthocyanins (M. guianensis: 1668,50 mg/mL e 2035,14 mg/mL / M. splendens:587,14 mg/mL were higher than the data available in the literature. The results obtained are directed to the use of fruits in low calorie diets due to low energetic value and to the production of natural dyes and / or antioxidants by nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries / Estudos realizados com a popula??o brasileira mostram a preval?ncia de sobrepeso e obesidade no pa?s. Evidenciam tamb?m mudan?as no estilo de vida, a exemplo da eleva??o do consumo de frutas e hortali?as, por serem fontes importantes de compostos bioativos os quais desempenham fun??o antioxidante e ajudam na preven??o de doen?as cr?nicas. A exist?ncia de g?neros da flora baiana ainda pouco exploradas, a exemplo da Myrcia, traz uma perspectiva de utiliza??o destes frutos na alimenta??o humana e para fins comerciais. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o valor nutricional e a atividade antioxidante de frutos deMyrcia guianensis (Aubl.) DC. eMyrcia splendens (S.w.)DC.coletadosno munic?pio de Alagoinhas-BA. As caracter?sticas qu?micas e f?sico-qu?micas foram determinadas a partir da an?lise dos frutos inteiros e os compostos bioativos e atividade antioxidante a partir do extrato bruto liofilizado da polpa e casca. O valor nutricional de ambas as esp?cies estudadas equipara-se ? composi??o das frutas em geral. O quantitativo de fen?is (M. guianensis: 56,41 ?g/mL e 42,60 ?g/mL / M. splendens:160,42 ?g/mL e 94,82 ?g/mL), flanovonoides (M. guianensis:9,10 ?g/mL e 3,22 ?g/mL / M. splendens:15,71 ?g/mL e 3,76 ?g/mL), antocianinas totais (M. guianensis:1957,37mg/mL e 2757,34mg/mL / M. splendens:943,10mg/mL)e antocianinas monom?ricas (M. guianensis:1668,50mg/mL e 2035,14mg/mL / M. splendens:587,14mg/mL) foram superiores a dados dispon?veis na literatura . Os resultados obtidos direcionam para a utiliza??o dos frutos em dietas hipocal?ricas pelo reduzido valor energ?tico e para produ??o de corantes e/ou antioxidantes naturais por ind?strias de nutrac?uticos e farmac?uticos