Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes

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Publications

Food from the Wild—Roles and Values of Wild Edible Plants and Fungi

Publication . Catarino, Luís; Romeiras, Maria Manuel; Fernandes, Ângela

Humans have used a multitude of wild species of plants, fungi, and animals for food and medicinal purposes. However, with the widespread establishment of industrial agriculture and globalization, the numbers of consumed plant, animal, and fungi species have significantly reduced. While in most developed or urban societies, virtually only cultivated or bred species are consumed, rural communities in many countries remain familiar with and consume many wild plant and mushroom species [1].

2024Other

Open access

Ethnomycological prospect of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms from Central and Southern Africa - a review

Publication . Bastos, Claudete António André; Liberal, Ângela; Moldão-Martins, Margarida; Catarino, Luís; Barros, Lillian

In several regions of Africa, the daily diet is partly dependent on the edible products from wild animals, plants, and mushrooms, driven by their availability, wide distribution in the local environment, and the low incomes of the general population. The documentation of ethnomycological information is particularly important to validate or correct the identification of specimens and the preservation of these natural resources with cultivation potential, thus improving their consumption and utilization for medicinal purposes. The number of wild edible mushroom species consumed varies between different regions of Africa, with around 300 species being documented in the literature. However, despite its rich biodiversity, theAfrican continent is still underexploited, which is reflected in poor food contribution to populations that are often in need. Here, the safe use of mushrooms is guided by the insufficiency of studies that validate their nutritional and medicinal properties, since they are key factors in the suppression of protein deficiency in the everyday diet of the populations and a source of bioactive compounds useful for the formulation of added-value functional products. Thus, it becomes essential to investigate African mushrooms, not only from the identification point of view, but also in terms of nutritional, chemical, and bioactive characterization, hence deepen the knowledge about this valuable natural resource. Bearing these in mind, the main objective of this study is to systematize the knowledge available in scientific publications and specialized websites, thus gathering information about the valuable profits that come from using these widely appreciated natural products.

2023Journal article

Open access

Ethnomycological prospect of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms from Central and Southern Africa - a review

Publication . Bastos, Claudete António André; Liberal, Ângela; Moldão-Martins, Margarida; Catarino, Luís; Barros, Lillian

In several regions of Africa, the daily diet is partly dependent on the edible products from wild animals, plants, and mushrooms, driven by their availability, wide distribution in the local environment, and the low incomes of the general population. The documentation of ethnomycological information is particularly important to validate or correct the identification of specimens and the preservation of these natural resources with cultivation potential, thus improving their consumption and utilization for medicinal purposes. The number of wild edible mushroom species consumed varies between different regions of Africa, with around 300 species being documented in the literature. However, despite its rich biodiversity, theAfrican continent is still underexploited, which is reflected in poor food contribution to populations that are often in need. Here, the safe use of mushrooms is guided by the insufficiency of studies that validate their nutritional and medicinal properties, since they are key factors in the suppression of protein deficiency in the everyday diet of the populations and a source of bioactive compounds useful for the formulation of added-value functional products. Thus, it becomes essential to investigate African mushrooms, not only from the identification point of view, but also in terms of nutritional, chemical, and bioactive characterization, hence deepen the knowledge about this valuable natural resource. Bearing these in mind, the main objective of this study is to systematize the knowledge available in scientific publications and specialized websites, thus gathering information about the valuable profits that come from using these widely appreciated natural products.

2023Journal article

Open access

Ethnomycological prospect of wild edible and medicinal mushrooms from Central and Southern Africa

Publication . Bastos, Claudete António André; Liberal, Ângela; Catarino, Luís; Moldão-Martins, Margarida; Barros, Lillian

In diferente regions of Africa, the people´s diet depends partially on edible products from wild animals, plants, or mushrooms, motivated not only by the high cost of living but also by the profusion of such products in local environment (Soro et al., 2019). In addition to being appreciated for their high nutritional value, rich in proteins, carbohydrates, elements (phosphorous, potassium, calcium, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc), vitamins, and lower fat amounts, thesse nontimber forest products (NTFPs) are the basis of various dietary, ethnic, cultural, religious, and medicinal considerations, depending on ethnic groups. Despite the rich biodiversity of the African continent, this remains largely unexplored resulting in a poor food contribution to the often malnourished populations (Yongabi et al., 2004). Thus, the aim of this review is to gather information on the wild mushroom species used in Central and Southern Africa and theirmain uses, with a focus on food and medicinal species.

2022Conference poster

Open access

Compositional features and biological activities of wild and commercial Moringa oleifera leaves from Guinea-Bissau

Publication . Fernandes, Ângela; Liberal, Ângela; Pinela, José; Finimundy, Tiane C.; Bancessi, Aducabe; Ćirić, Ana; Soković, Marina; Catarino, Luís; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.; Barros, Lillian

Moringa oleifera Lam. is a nutraceutical edible plant used to fight malnutrition in developing countries. This investigation describes the nutritional, chemical and bioactive assets of wild and commercially acquired M. oleifera leaves from Guinea-Bissau. Both samples presented significant differences in the contents of almost all the analysed parameters. Carbohydrates and proteins were the major constituents of the leaves, which also showed an interesting profile of tocopherols, organic acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and phenolic compounds. The infused extract of the commercial leaf sample was more effective than other preparations against lipid peroxidation and oxidative haemolysis. In turn, higher antibacterial activity was achieved with hydroethanolic and infused extracts of the wild sample, which extracts also displayed superior antifungal activity. Overall, the commercially acquired M. oleifera leaves stand out with better quality profiles than the wild collected, which aroused interest in studying the processing methods used locally to process this functional food.

2021Journal article

Open access