O RESGATE E O USO DE PLANTAS ALIMENTÍCIAS NÃO CONVENCIONAIS: CARACTERÍSTICAS FUNCIONAIS E PRINCIPAIS UTILIZAÇÕES NA ALIMENTAÇÃO HUMANA

Abstract

Brazil is one of the countries with the greatest biodiversity of fauna and flora in the world. However, in terms of flora, there are plants that have not yet been fully studied by the technical-scientific community or explored by society as a whole. Some of these plants are called unconventional food plants (PANCs). These are considered food when they have parts or products that can be used in human food, such as roots, tubers, stems, leaves, flowers, among other structures. Within this perspective, the present study aimed to understand how these PANCs are used in human food, thus contributing to the dissemination of knowledge on the subject. The article is characterized by having a qualitative approach and the collections took place in the municipality of Colorado do Oeste, Rondônia. The identifications occurred through specific bibliography, articles and publications cited in the present study. The main species of PANCs found in Colorado do Oeste, until now, were: Taioba (Xanthosoma sagittifolium), Yam (Colocasia esculenta), Ora-pro-nóbis (Pereskia aculeata), Heart / Navel of the banana tree (Musa paradisiaca), Purslane (Portulaca umbraticola), Caruru (Amaranthus viridis), sweet potato leaf (Ipomoea potatoes), Oregano (Origanum vulgare), Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Mint (Mentha x villosa) and Jurubeba (Solanum paniculatum). In the reported plants, it appears that the PANCS, have a great nutritional and economic potential, however more research is needed to confirm these properties and for a better clarification about cultivation and consumption.

Keywords: Biodiversity; Food; Sustainability; PANCs.